Carlos Dunlap, Seahawks defense beats 49ers after offense wouldn’t in 30-23 stunner

Before this crazy game even ended, Russell Wilson hugged everyone on the field, friends and foes.

DK Metcalf and Bobby Wagner ran off the field together, with Metcalf holding the All-Pro left arm high, like a referee does a boxer who just won a prizefight.

Adrian Peterson—yes, the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer who played with new teammates who still didn’t know—raised a triumphant peace sign as he exited.

Pete Carroll looked and sounded as relieved as much as joyed.

Half the Seattle stadium was roaring. The other half — holding 49ers fans who bought the season tickets of Seahawks fans who have given up on their team’s lost season — was stunned.

And after winning the game with a sack for a game-tying safety then batting away Jimmy Garoppolo’s fourth-and-goal pass with 18 seconds remaining to seal sunken Seattle’s improbable, 30-23 upset over previously rolling division rival San Francisco Sunday, recently mothballed Carlos Dunlap spoke facts.

“We’ve had a couple of ugly losses,” the veteran defensive end said, after the locker-room walls shook with Soulja Boy’s bass music blaring.

“Feels good to get an ugly win.”

The Seahawks’ defense did it. Because their offense wouldn’t.

“This game was definitely crazy,” Wilson said.

The 49ers drove from their own 2-yard line, after another Seattle turnover at the goal line, to the Seahawks 3 in the final minute. On second down, former University of Washington cornerback Sidney Jones and strong safety Ryan Neal sold out and run-blitzed to stop 49ers rookie running back Elijah Mitchell on an inside rush.

Neal blitzed on his own.

“I just saw him and said, ‘S***, this is it, and goal,’” Neal said outside the locker room on his way to his car and home Sunday night.

The usual dime, sixth defensive back was playing every down because Jamal Adams sprained his shoulder in the second quarter and did not return.

“It’s awesome being in that situation, that type of game. That’s what you live for.”

Dunlap’s bat sent the Seahawks (4-8) to only their second win in two months, over previously rolling San Francisco (6-6) at conflicted Lumen Field.

The Seahawks are 15-2 against the 49ers since 2014. Wilson is now 9-1 against them in Seattle, the only loss being for the NFC West title in the 2019 regular season finale that ended with the Seahawks stopped at the 1-yard line.

Dunlap’s sack in the third quarter of Garoppolo in the end zone tied the game at 23. That was after Gerald Everett bobbled what should have been a touchdown pass from Wilson into a 49ers interception.

It was Dunlap’s first sack of the season. He’s played just four snaps the previous game, Seattle’s last-play loss at Washington.

He played just 17 snaps the game before that, as coaches have told him they were playing second-year ends Alton Robinson and Darrell Taylor and others more than the 32-year-old, 12th-year veteran in these final six games of the season.

“What I’m here for,” said Dunlap, the two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Seattle acquired during the 2020 season.

“It feels amazing to come through for my teammates. They’ve been looking at me to play those plays (all season).

“Today, I came through.”

This game had everything but Santa Claus running for a score.

And Santa was dancing on the field, at halftime.

With 5 minutes left and the Seahawks poised for the clinching score, Everett lost the ball on a turnover at the goal line for the second time in the second half.

The first was that bobbled pass he turned into a 49ers interception, Wilson’s fourth interception into the end zone in four games since he returned from surgery on his throwing hand.

Wilson had his best game since his return: 30 for 37 passing for 231 yards, two touchdowns and that interception that wasn’t his fault.

Everett’s second giveaway was a fumble on a third-down shovel pass from Wilson. San Francisco recovered at the 2 with 5 minutes left, to remain down only 30-23.

The Seahawks offense had the ball at the San Francisco 28-yard line; the 31; the 25; the 5 and the 1.

Seattle’s total points on those five possessions: zero.

Backup running back Travis Homer, questionable to play because of more leg injuries, had the longest gain from scrimmage this season — on a fake punt that’s as rare under Pete Carroll as black shoes.

After the Seahawks typically went three and out on offense to begin the game, Homer took the direct punt snap from Tyler Ott as the blocking back in front of Michael Dickson and ran 73 yards past stunned 49ers for the game’s first score.

Homer’s fake punt was the same amount of yards Seattle had in all 26 of their conventional runs from scrimmage, combined.

The running backs carried 23 times for 58 yards as the offense was just 5 for 15 converting third downs, ongoing issues this season.

Peterson had 11 carries for 16 yards. But he did debut with a historic touchdown days after signing with Seattle.

Tyler Lockett looked to be out for the game, sitting in the end zone with an apparent leg injury trying to reach an overthrown pass in the second quarter. A team doctor helped him slowly walk off the field into a blue observation tent behind the bench.

Then in the third quarter Lockett reappeared to make a ridiculous catch, looking over one shoulder then the other while Wilson’s lofted pass was inbound in the end zone. Lockett’s exquisite display of coordination with a defender all over him gave Seattle its first, improbable lead, 30-23.

“Really special play,” Wilson said.

There was more loony stuff.

The 49ers had an illegal snap in shotgun formation nullify a fourth-down play.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Niners thought they had an interception on a batted pass thrown by Wilson as he got crunched from the side by a pass rusher. One official ruled interception in Seahawks territory. A side official ruled incomplete. Referee Alex Kemp announced the interception, then changed his ruling a few seconds later.

Instead of the 49ers in prime territory to tie the game, Michael Dickson, Seattle’s best player most consistently this lost season, boomed another of his clutch punts 54 yards to the San Francisco 8 with 12 minutes left.

On the ensuing drive, Garoppolo threw on third down to Brandon Aiyuk for what would have been a first down near midfield with 11 minutes left. But Seahawks right cornerback D.J. Reed peeled back and smacked the wide receiver in the back, jarring the ball loose at the ground.

The Niners rushed to the line of scrimmage trying to run the next play. Carroll uncorked perhaps his best throw of a challenge flag of his 12 years as Seahawks coach, from the sideline to about the yard-line numbers. He won that replay challenge, and San Francisco punted, still down 30-23.

Offense face-plants. Again.

How bad was it for Wilson and the Seahawks’ woeful offense?

They had a second and 43, a third and 32 and a third and 24

And that was just in the first quarter.

Bobby Wagner had one of the easiest interceptions of his 10-year career, stepping into the route of a slant pass over the middle to pick off Garoppolo. He set up Wilson and the offense at San Francisco’s 28-yard line, poised for the lead in the first quarter.

Then tight end Will Dissly was penalized for holding on the left edge while Rashaad Penny ran 2 yards around him on a first-down sweep.

On second down, Wilson was hit by a free rusher off the right edge. The blow caused him to fumble, and was so hard the ball went to the other side of midfield. Center Ethan Pocic recovered the fumble for 11 more lost yards.

It was second and 43.

Runs by Penny for 11 yards and Wilson scrambling for 12 more put Jason Myers in position for a 56-yard field goal.

It was short and wide right.

Peterson’s debut

Peterson’s Seahawks career started the way the team’s other running backs have gone most of this season.

Backward.

His first carry went for a loss of 5 yards. Pocic got beaten decisively off the snap and his man dumped Peterson, who had no chance.

His second carry, Peterson had room behind three tight ends lined up right to gain the first down. But he lost the ball for a fumble just after Wilson handed it to him. Pocic recovered for a loss of 1 yard instead of the first down.

Midway through the second quarter, Peterson dragged multiple 49ers across the line to gain 4 yards and a first down. Left tackle Duane Brown and wide receiver Penny Hart helped him off the ground.. Hart gave Peterson a hearty pat on his backside.

A pass-interference penalty on 49ers fill-in cornerback Deommodore Lenoir in the back of the end zone, when Wilson threw late from the 4 to Freddie Swain, gave Seattle first down at the 2. Peterson got the ball and outran the 49ers around the left end to the goal line for the touchdown.

Fullback Nick Bellore did a leaping chest bump with Peterson in the end zone. Bellore and tackle Duane Brown shared a roar over Peterson’s 126th career touchdown. That ties him for 10th all-time with Jim Brown. Peterson passed Walter Payton with the score.

Bellore, Seattle’s special-teams captain, had spent almost all practice week with the kicking teams and in his other role as backup middle linebacker. When he entered the offense’s huddle in the first half near the goal line, Peterson would have been excused for doing a double take.

“He was probably wondering who I was,” Bellore said.

The unknown Bellore was the lead blocker was Peterson’s 120th rushing touchdown. Only four players have scored 120 or more rushing TDs in NFL history: Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Marcus Allen and now Peterson.

Despite being out-gained 124-7 on plays that weren’t fake punts into the second quarter, Seattle trailed only 17-14.

Peterson won’t get to Jerry Rice’s touchdown record of 207. But he could get into the top 10 all-time in total yards. After 11 rushes for 16 yards Sunday Peterson has 17,3792 total yards. He’s Peterson is 38 yards from Curtis Martin for 10th place.

Peterson is fifth all-time in rushing yards, with 14,918. He’s 351 yards behind Barry Sanders for fourth.

Eskridge’s first score

Rookie Dee Eskridge had his two biggest plays yet to keep the Seahawks in the game into the third quarter.

On third down with no time outs remaining in the first half, Eskridge caught Wilson’s pass and had the awareness to quick get out of bounds with 26 seconds left for an 11-yard gain.

With 18 seconds left in the half, Eskridge caught Wilson’s pass from the 7-yard line to the 2. Then he lowered his up-field shoulder and bulled through the attempted arm tackle of San Francisco’s Lenoir. He dived across the goal line for his first career touchdown.

“I knew the DB was there, so I made sure I just lowered my shoulder and left no doubt I was getting into the end zone,” Eskridge said on the field after the game, in between signing autographs and posing for selfish with roaring fans leaning over the lower-decks bottom railing.

Despite being dominated for much of the first half, Seattle trailed 23-21.

Eskridge missed more than two months of the season with effects from a concussion he got on his second time touching the ball this season, in Seattle’s opening game at Indianapolis Sept. 12.

The team’s top pick in this spring’s draft went to a concussion specialist in Florida Wilson had recommended — one who once helped Wilson’s sister recover from a head injury — before he returned Nov. 14 in the Seahawks’ game at Green Bay.

Adams injured

Jamal Adams left the game in the second quarter with an injured shoulder. Equipment staffers took his helmet from the $70 million safety to keep him from returning to play. He went into the locker room late in the second quarter.

The team announced during the third quarter Adams had a shoulder injury. He returned to the sideline from the locker room midway through the period — in street clothes.

Neal replacing Adams as strong safety meant less dime, six defensive backs and more nickel with Neal as the safety and Ugo Amadi as the nickel DB the rest of Sunday.

Adams’ status for next weekend when Seattle plays at Houston (2-10) is unknown.

“He sprained his shoulder today, the one that was operated on,” Carroll said. “So, I don’t know any updates, other than that.”