Nedney sends 49ers over Seahawks in OT, 33-30
Monday, September 15, 2008 10:37 AM PDT
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| Elaine Thompson | Associated Press
San Francisco 49ers’ Frank Gore (front) fumbles as Seattle Seahawks’ Howard Green (94) tackles him in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday in Seattle. The Seahawks recovered and scored on the play. |
SEATTLE (AP) — It was the same old NFC West. Seattle was having a party. Part-time rocker Craig Terrill was emphatically wind-milling his arms at an air guitar, like Pete Townshend, in the back of the end zone after the defensive tackle’s fumble return for a touchdown.
The Seahawks were up 14-0 on the 49ers.
Then new quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan and San Francisco’s wide-open, improvisational offense rallied, kicker Joe Nedney shook off a miss on the final play of regulation to make a 40-yarder 4:40 into overtime and the 49ers had a 33-30 victory over the stunned Seahawks on Sunday.
‘‘I don’t know what to say,’’ uttered three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck on his second consecutive substandard day. He was missing his top six wide receivers, after two more got hurt Sunday.
The four-time defending division champions are 0-2 for the first time since 2002 — their last losing season. They lost for just the fifth time in 23 home division games, and just the third time in 11 games to San Francisco (1-1).
Seattle is already two games behind Arizona in the division, not exactly how it wanted to send Mike Holmgren out in his 10th and final season as coach.
‘‘We’re a little surprised,’’ Hasselbeck said. ‘‘I’m a little surprised. A little stunned.’’
Seattle sacked O’Sullivan eight times in his second career start. But the resilient former third-stringer during five idle seasons with four teams continually revived his team with whirling, improvisational scrambles and savvy throws. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 321 yards, the first time in four years a San Francisco quarterback had topped 300 yards passing.
‘‘I always thought that I could’’ bounce back, O’Sullivan said. ‘‘I’ve made a lot of mistakes, thrown a lot of picks. I can bounce back.’’
The 49ers got the ball to start overtime. On third-and-7 from the San Francisco 23, O’Sullivan found Isaac Bruce over the much shorter Josh Wilson for 33 yards. Bruce and O’Sullivan were in tune when the receiver turned his post route into a straight fly after the snap.
Bruce caught four passes for 153 yards, his most since 2004, one week after O’Sullivan never even threw his way.
O’Sullivan then threw a quick jump pass for 5 yards to Arnaz Battle on third-and-3. Battle said that was a read between the two after seeing a Seattle blitz coming. That set up Nedney for redemption.
San Francisco nearly won it earlier when O’Sullivan frantically escaped a ninth sack and found Gore for an impromptu, 17-yard completion. That set up Nedney for a 41-yard kick, but he hooked the ball wide right by a few feet, forcing overtime.
‘‘You’re only as good as your last kick,’’ Nedney said, smiling. ‘‘So I’m feeling pretty good right now.’’
O’Sullivan’s 16-yard scramble on third-and-8 with 3:50 left got Nedney into position to kick the 28-yard field goal that tied the game at 30.
As receiver Arnaz Battle said of O’Sullivan revitalizing one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams from 2007: ‘‘He’s come in with some swagger.’’
The Seahawks have lost theirs. They are down to Plans G and H at wide receiver. Billy McMullen, signed off his couch in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday, had three catches in his first game since 2006.
McMullen was only playing because Logan Payne, a practice squad player last season, tore a knee ligament on a catch in the first quarter.
Dynamic backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, prepped all last week to catch passes Sunday, pulled a groin muscle in pregame warmups.
Plus, a defense returning all 11 starters from last season — including four Pro Bowlers — has allowed 67 points to Buffalo and San Francisco.
‘‘We have a great team, and we don’t really care what anybody else thinks.
There are still 14 games to be played,’’ said linebacker Lofa Tatupu, one of those Pro Bowlers. ‘‘I’m not comparing us to the New York Giants, but they did start 0-2 last year, didn’t they?’’
But Tatupu quickly added: ‘‘This is unacceptable.’’
