Things couldn't have gone worse for 49ers in divisional bout vs. Seahawks

The San Francisco 49ers certainly didn't plan on trailing prior to any single snap from either their quarterback, Brock Purdy, or the Seattle Seahawks' Sam Darnold.

But, things didn't exactly go according to plan.

In a playoff tilt that'd determine which NFC West squad would advance to the conference championship game in a week, the Niners found themselves trailing by a touchdown after the opening kickoff, thanks to a 95-yard kick return by Hawks return specialist Rashid Shaheed that totally set the divisional bout on the wrong foot for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co.:

Ugly. Big time.

To make things worse, San Francisco's opening possession sputtered out when Shanahan opted to get cute with an attempted handoff to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, whose efforts to get around to the outside wholly backfired on 4th-and-1.

Apparently, the 49ers didn't learn much from the "Philly Special" when they upended the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round last week.

49ers' ominous start vs. Seahawks is a terrible sign

Before the Niners barely had time to blink, Seattle was up 10-0 after engineering a field-goal drive after the turnover on downs by Juszczyk.

Considering San Francisco managed a mere three points when it faced the Seahawks two weeks ago in Week 18, and at home at Levi's Stadium, it's not exactly something Shanahan, Purdy and Co. were hoping to see up against one of the league's most elite defenses.

And that defense stripped a ball loose from backup tight end Jake Tonges a mere three plays after going up 10-0, making the Niners miss injured All-Pro George Kittle that much more as he recovers from last week's Achilles tear.

Now, as the game continues to unfold, the 49ers are going to have to pin their hopes on Darnold living up to a not-so-stellar big-game reputation.

But, should the Hawks maintain the same kind of defensive prowess they showed two weeks ago, they'll likely have all the points they need.

It's not good.