Seahawks dominate 49ers in first half, still possess only slim lead

The Seattle Seahawks should be leading the San Francisco 49ers by far more at halftime of the team's Week 18 game that will decide the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Seattle outgained the 49ers 196-69 in the first half, and yet they only led 10-3 at the break. While that's a credit to San Francisco, it's also an echo of what has been the Seahawks' struggle all season long. The Seahawks haven't been good at capitalizing on opportunities in the first half of games.

It could have been 20-3 if not for a turnover on downs on the Seahawks' opening drive and a missed field goal attempt by kicker Jason Myers. The opening drive that resulted in zero points for Seattle had a 1st and goal attempt with a wide-open Zach Charbonnet, who Sam Darnold missed.

This isn't uncharacteristic of this year's Seahawks team, which provides some semblance of confidence at this point. But it also begs for the Seattle offense to come through when it should.

Zach Charbonnet with room to run!

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The 49ers converted just one third down and had three first downs in the first two quarters. Seattle's defense made them work for every yard, and there was very little to come by for San Francisco in the opening half.

However, as these NFC West rivalry games often go, it stayed close as a result of the Seahawks' key mistakes.

Continuing to run the ball effectively, the Seahawks piled up 115 rushing yards in the first half alone. San Francisco appeared to welcome Seattle's run game, opting to shut down the explosive plays instead. That's a trend that has been consistent among the Seahawks' opponents since around the midseason point.

It's a tough compromise to make, especially as the Seahawks' run game has begun to come into its own in the last few weeks. Give up the big play to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or let Kenneth Walker III and Charbonnet run free.

There's still plenty of football remaining, and the 49ers are bound to make some second-half adjustments that could change the complexion of the game.

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