Mullens's 414 Pass Yds Not Nearly Enough; 49ers Lose 43-16 To Seahawks
SEATTLE (CBS SF/AP) -- 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 414 yards (30/48) with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception on Sunday, but his team couldn't avoid getting routed by the Seattle Seahawks.
With the loss, the 49ers fell to 2-10, while the Seahawks moved up to 7-5.
Most of the attention was centered on Richard Sherman's first game back in Seattle after spending his first seven seasons with the Seahawks before being released and signing with the 49ers (2-10) last March.
He greeted former teammates during pregame warmups — even giving a brief handshake and hug to Seattle QB Russell Wilson — and then had a mostly uneventful return.
Early in the third quarter, Wilson hit Baldwin on a short route and Sherman's close friend shook off the tackle attempt and raced 21 yards for a first down.
Wagner stole a fumble from Jeff Wilson Jr. at the Seattle 5 in the first half, one of two key fumbles by San Francisco. He then stepped in front of Nick Mullens' pass near the goal line and outran the rest of the 49ers for the longest interception return in team history.
Dante Pettis had two touchdown receptions , including a 75-yard catch early in the fourth quarter, for San Francisco.
CELEBRATION TIME
Seattle's wide receivers had plenty of chances to work on their touchdown celebrations.
The first after Brown's 4-yard catch in the first quarter was a nod to Sherman and Seahawks history. The group created a re-enactment of the famous tip play by Sherman in the 2013 NFC championship game against the 49ers. Late in the fourth quarter, Sherman tipped an end zone pass from Colin Kaepernick into the arms of Malcolm Smith for an interception that secured Seattle's berth in the Super Bowl.
Brown was the quarterback on the play 's re-enactment. Baldwin played the role of Sherman and David Moore was in the role of Smith, who is also playing for the 49ers.
They capped their day of celebrations with the "Macarena " following Brown's second TD.
INJURIES
Seattle may have suffered a significant loss when guard D.J. Fluker had to be helped to the sideline early in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury. Fluker has been a key part of Seattle's run-game resurgence and appeared very angry on the field about the injury. He did not return and left the field on a cart.
Seattle running back Chris Carson also left in the fourth quarter to have X-rays on a finger.
San Francisco starting RB Matt Breida played only sparingly. He had five carries and three receptions.
UP NEXT
49ers: San Francisco returns home to host Denver next Sunday.
Seahawks: Seattle hosts Minnesota next Monday night.
© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.