SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Richard Sherman intercepted Colin Kaepernick’s deep third-down pass on the right sideline to help set up Russell Wilson’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Robert Turbin, and the Seattle Seahawks led the San Francisco 49ers after one quarter Thursday night.
A wide-open Turbin easily took the ball down the left sideline on a pretty catch-and-run before beating cornerback Chris Culliver into the end zone to give the defending Super Bowl champions the early edge in the first of two meetings between the NFC West rivals in a three-week span.
Both teams came in at 7-4 and trying to stay in the playoff chase, facing off 10 months after a heated NFC championship game last January that Seattle won by six points on the way to the Super Bowl title.
The 49ers have won five straight home games in the rivalry, but this marked Seattle’s first trip to new $1.3 billion Levi’s Stadium.
San Francisco’s Michael Crabtree went down 56 seconds into the game after landing awkwardly on his left leg following a 5-yard reception, Kaepernick’s first throw of the game and on the second play from scrimmage. Safety Kam Chancellor tackled him from the side, then checked on the wideout as he walked off on his own. The 49ers said Crabtree had a rib injury, and he didn’t return the remainder of the quarter.
Crabtree was at the center of the decisive play in January’s NFC championship game, when Richard Sherman deflected a pass headed his way in the end zone and Malcolm Smith intercepted it with less than a minute remaining in the Seahawks’ 23-17 victory.
Seattle went three-and-out on its first two series, hurt the initial drive by a clipping penalty. 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald injured a finger on the play and was replaced by Tony Jerod-Eddie.
Kaepernick was just 3 for 7 with the interception and a sack for a 10.7 passer rating in the opening quarter, while Wilson completed 5 of his first 7 passes for 47 yards and a 129.2 rating.
In a lighthearted moment before kickoff, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh’s black hat blew off during the national anthem and landed on the lowest white stripe of a flag that covered the entire field. A San Francisco staffer quickly retrieved the cap just in time as the flag was being rolled up after ”The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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Seahawks lead 49ers 7-0 after 1st quarter
