SF 49ers abused by D.K. Metcalf, Seahawks in disjointed Week 8 loss

The SF 49ers had zero answers for D.K. Metcalf and the Seahawks in Week 8, losing in ugly fashion in an oh-so crucial NFC West matchup.

Both the SF 49ers and Seattle Seahawks were presented with a tremendous opportunity to better their playoff standings during their Week 8 bout at CenturyLink Field on Sunday.

With both the Green Bay Packers and NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams losing their Week 8 games, either the Niners or Hawks would be able to pick up a game on one of those two top contenders, while also gaining some much-needed ground on the other division rival.

And the Seahawks got the bigger laugh and then some, as quarterback Russell Wilson and Co. cooked the SF 49ers in a laugher, winning 37-27.

One of the biggest goals for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. would be to attack what was the league’s worst pass defense entering Week 8. And Seattle’s defense, already problematic, was going to have complementary problems with the Seahawks missing running backs Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde, who were both out with injuries.

That said, Wilson and wide receiver D.K. Metcalf were still massive reasons why Seattle entered the contest with the No. 1 offense in the league.

Both offenses were disjointed early, the Seahawks clearly missing a running game while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tossed an early interception to former SF 49ers defensive back D.J. Reed. That seemed to provide the spark Wilson and Metcalf needed, as the two connected for a 46-yard catch-and-run touchdown to open up the scoring.

Wilson and Metcalf hooked up for 161 total yards on 12 receptions with two touchdowns.

San Francisco answered back early with a 14-play, 75-yard drive culminating in rookie running back JaMycal Hasty’s first touchdown to make it 7-6 in favor of the SF 49ers:

But that didn’t stop the Wilson-Metcalf connection from retaking the lead with just over three minutes left in the first half, getting back out to a 13-7 lead.

San Francisco managed a mere 116 yards in the first half against a defense that allowed more than 479 yards per game — worst in the league, while Seattle had 172 all-purpose yards over the first two quarters.

Things didn’t look much better after halftime either.

After going 3-and-out to start the third quarter, the SF 49ers subsequently surrendered a nine-play, 63-yard drive culminating in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to fourth-string running back DeeJay Dallas to make it 20-7.

Then, embattled wide receiver Dante Pettis, who got the surprise active with San Francisco’s injuries at the position, fumbled the subsequent kickoff return, prompting NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco to say the obvious:

And that led to Wilson’s fourth touchdown pass, putting Seattle up in dominating fashion, 27-7 and essentially ending whatever dim hopes the SF 49ers had to reclaim the NFC West title.

The game, too, even though things got a bit interesting when backup quarterback Nick Mullens took over for Jimmy G to start the fourth quarter.

What happened to SF 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo

While Garoppolo got by with a lot of dink-and-dunk plays in the Niners’ Week 7 win over the New England Patriots, nothing of the sort showed up on the road in Seattle before he was pulled for Mullens in the fourth quarter.

In total, Garoppolo went 11-of-16 for a mere 84 yards with no touchdowns, an interception and a 55.2 passer rating. He also took three sacks against one of the league’s worst pass-rushing units, too.

Mullens, meanwhile, eclipsed Garoppolo in pass yards on just two drives, likely prompting more “bench the starter” controversy in the coming days.

But that only told a portion of the story.

Garoppolo’s passes, as they’ve been often this season, were off target. Many of these sailing well in front or behind his intended targets. While some of the blame could be placed on his injured ankle, Garoppolo’s ability to read the field and hit targets was nowhere near where it should have been. There were read misses as well, including failing to see a wide-open fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, in the flat on a failed third-down attempt.

Garoppolo and the Niners went 3-of-9 on third downs, by the way, before Mullens entered the game.

San Francisco now falls to 4-4 and will limp into its Thursday Night Football contest against the 5-2 Green Bay Packers on the short week.