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# Halftime Observations: Seahawks Play Bully Ball, Take 10-3 Lead Over 49ers
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/halftime-observations-seattle-seahawks-play-bully-ball-san-francisco-49ers/
- Published: 2026-01-04T02:33:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:54:08.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Game Day, Seahawks, Sam Darnold, Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Derick Hall, Uchenna Nwosu, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="3600"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27927099-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Rumbling to 115 rushing yards in the opening two quarters, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves halfway to an NFC West crown and the top seed in the NFC with a 10-3 lead over the San Francisco 49ers in the season finale.

Here are three quick takeaways from the first half of the NFC West title game at Levis Stadium:

**1\. The Walker/Charbonnet backfield battery plays all the hits behind a bruising offensive line.**

Coming off back-to-back wins with 163 or more rushing yards, the Seahawks kept momentum rolling on the ground with a steady dose of Walker and Charbonnet, as the duo contributed 29 rushing yards on six carries on an opening series that unfortunately ended without a score. But on the next series, after benefiting from a facemask by the 49ers against punt returner Rashid Shaheed and starting at the San Francisco 35-yard line, Charbonnet took a 3rd and 2 handoff to the left and bounced outside behind a block from AJ Barner, eventually slipping past a tackle attempt by Malik Mustapha for a 27-yard touchdown to put Seattle up 7-0.

Walker got in on the explosives on the next play from scrimmage for the Seahawks, following lead blocks by Jalen Sundell and Anthony Bradford to a 20-yard gain that nearly turned into a house call. Charbonnet added another 11-yard run for a first down on that same drive, only for Jason Myers to slice a 47-yard field goal drive wide right. By halftime, the Seahawks already had 110 rushing yards on 18 carries from their Thunder ‘N Lightning package, combining to average north of six yards per carry with the line creating consistent push up front and winning at the second level.

**2\. Pass rush and secondary in sync for Seahawks to stifle Brock Purdy, potent Niners offense.**

Averaging over 35 points per game in a six-game winning streak, nobody has been able to slow down the 49ers since Purdy returned from a toe injury in Week 11\. The fourth-year quarterback had thrown 16 touchdowns during that streak, including five in a 42-37 win over the Bears last weekend. But that success didn’t translate into Saturday against Seattle’s stingy defense, as San Francisco went three-and-out on the first two series with 15 total yards of offense behind a Derick Hall sack and several nice third down tackles in space. A promising third drive sputtered as well after six plays with Purdy’s fourth down heave being compromised by a hit from Jarran Reed and falling incomplete.

The 49ers did manage to get on the scoreboard in the closing moments of the half, as Purdy masterfully escaped pressure on 3rd and 11 to find Jauan Jennings for a 13-yard gain, eventually leading to a field goal from Eddie Pineiro to cut the deficit to seven. But the Seahawks held Purdy to just 47 passing yards on 13 attempts and bottled up Christian McCaffrey with just seven yards on three carries, largely relegating a top-10 offense to a complete non-factor in the opening two quarters.

**3\. Botched scoring opportunities could come back to bite Seattle in the final 30 minutes.**

Seattle always will take a lead going into a half, but coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak likely aren’t pleased with the points left off the scoreboard in what should be a multiple score lead. The Seahawks marched right down the field on their opening possession, eventually earning first and goal at the 49ers’ one-yard line on a pass interference penalty against Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But Sam Darnold took an 11-yard sack on play action on the very next snap and after two short runs by Charbonnet, the quarterback’s fourth and goal throw to Cooper Kupp sailed out of bounds for a turnover on downs, making the choice to turn down three points a perplexing one.

Two possessions later, the Seahawks once again had advanced the ball deep into 49ers’ territory, only for the drive to stall out with Walker taking a four-yard loss on a second down run and failing to gain any yardage on a third down bubble screen. Myers came on for a 47-yard kick, which he had been nailing with ease in warmups, but his attempt sliced right to the delight of the home crowd. Those two missed scoring chances may have taken as many as 10 points off the board, and after dominating yardage and time of possession, to be only up seven is a bit deflating.