One dreadful play tells all about Seahawks’ QB situation and offense in ugly loss at 49ers

We could go on for hours and days about the Seahawks’ quarterback situation. Their situation on offense. Their mess on a sorry Sunday at San Francisco, for that matter.

And we will.

But nothing speaks to the Seahawks’ QB state of affairs after trading Russell Wilson more than that one, gong-show of a play midway through the second quarter of Seattle’s 27-7 manhandling by the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

“We call that play ‘SportsCenter,’” key participant DeeJay Dallas said.

It was definitely worthy of a “Not Top Ten.”

The Seahawks (1-1) trailed 13-0 in the second quarter but were still in the game. They had gotten across midfield for the first time on a debatable pass-interference penalty. San Francisco’s Emmanuel Moseley tried to ruin a pass from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf that the 49ers’ Fred Warner intercepted. It would have been the second interception of the half for Smith, who has replaced Wilson.

After the reprieve, the Seahawks got into the red zone. Then offensive coordinator Shane Waldron used a new formation: “SportsCenter.” It’s four running backs together, with rookie tailback Ken Walker getting the direct snap shotgun from center in his first NFL game. Walker ran for 5 yards.

Cute and different.

The next play, Waldron used the same formation. Not as cute. Very different.

Very bad.

The play caller sent his quarterback out wide as a receiver. Walker took another direct snap. This time he handed to fellow back Dallas running right. Then Dallas cocked his arm to throw a pass.

From the sideline, Carroll could see and sense this was a bad idea.

“I wish I would have called time out. I should have,” Carroll said.

“It was a really cool play to call and to give a shot to. But it asks a lot.”

Of Dallas, specifically.

Yes, Dallas was a high-school quarterback in Brunswick, Georgia. But he’s 24 years old and been an NFL running back and college wide receiver since then.

Metcalf was open about 10 yards in front of Dallas. The running back threw the trick-play pass 4 yards short of Metcalf. San Francisco’s Charvarius Ward easily intercepted.

Dallas says he’s never been a part of a play like that. Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who turns 30 next week, says he did a lot of wacky stuff on offense at Kansas State in college — but he’s never done four running-backs.

Let’s just say it’s not a play they would have tried during Wilson’s 10 seasons with Seattle.

“The corner, I thought he was going to commit to me (running the ball),” Dallas said. “So I raised up to throw and dropped back.”

He said he intended not to throw the ball when he saw the cornerback drop back toward Metcalf.

“I just couldn’t pull it back in time,” Dallas said.

He’s been looking forward to running that play all the past week, convinced it would result in a touchdown.

“Sucks that my first time (running that play) went like that, though,” he said on his way out of the quiet locker room to the Seahawks’ bus.

That was how the Seahawks wasted one of only two times the offense got across midfield Sunday.

The other time was on the final, throwaway play of the first half, on which running back Travis Homer caught a dump-off pass, ran 17 yards to the Niners 33 — but could not get out of bounds to stop the clock in time for a field-goal try.

So it went for the Seahawks. They came not only back down to earth but went subterranean after their raucous opening win over Wilson’s Broncos last week.

“This league will humble you quick. And we got humbled today,” Seattle Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs said.

“We shouldn’t be feeding into all the hype, anyway.

“Obviously, we’re not that good.”

Seahawks have multiple issues

Seattle hosts Atlanta (0-2) next week while dealing with multiple issues.

The Seahawks had won the previous four games against the 49ers, and 14 of the previous 16 regular-season meetings with their rivals. Then San Francisco (1-1) ran for 189 yards to Seattle’s 31. That continued the Seahawks’ problem with run fits and gap responsibilities their defense had in week one.

The Niners were sure to test those Seahawks issues. Seattle thoroughly failed that test. The Seahawks allowed the 49ers to push them around on drives of 11, 12 and 13 plays.

“We just laid an egg today, as far as stopping the run,” inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks said.

Seattle’s many penalties included multiple fouls on third downs to extend San Francisco drives, for illegal contact by rookie cornerback and two penalties on cornerback Michael Jackson for pass interference. Bryant also had a pass-interference penalty.

Smith and the offense produced just 210 yards, 56 of which came in a garbage drive to no points to end the 20-0 first half. Another 25 yards came in more garbage time to end the game.

Seattle’s offense hasn’t scored a touchdown since the second quarter of the opener, six quarters ago.

“We have to do everything better,” Carroll said. “We have to run the ball with some consistency.

“We ran the ball for nothin’ (Sunday).”

The only points of the first 3 1/2 quarters for the Seahawks: rookie Tariq Woolen, 6 feet 4, blocking a short field goal by the 49ers and Jackson having the ball bounce directly up to him off the wet grass. Jackson ran 85 yards the other way for the return touchdown. That made it 20-7 .

That and Dallas’ bizarre interception made the Seahawks look like the team that had its starting quarterback knocked out of the game.

That was the 49ers.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan paid for having starting quarterback Trey Lance run quarterback-power plays repeatedly into the middle of the Seahawks’ defense. Linebacker Cody Barton slammed into Lance on another of those plays, late in the first quarter. Barton’s hit bent back Lance with his right leg under him.

A cart took Lance off the field. So ended his second game and, reportedly, Lance’s season as the full-time starter over Super Bowl quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco.

Jimmy Garoppolo returns

Garoppolo played the final 3 1/2 quarters. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 154 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers. He pushed over a sneak on fourth down with 1:51 remaining for the final points.

The way the 49ers ran without injured starting running back Elijah Mitchell, they really didn’t need Garoppolo’s throwing.

The way the Seahawks played, the Niners didn’t need much of anything to win.

It was 13-0 on three scores by early in the second quarter. San Francisco gained 204 of the game’s first 241 offensive yards by 4 minutes into the second quarter.

Garoppolo completed a long pass to Ray-Ray McCloud on Woolen for a 49ers conversion on third down. Next, Seattle blew a coverage to the right side of the Seattle defense, Woolen’s side. No one was near tight end Ross Dwelley for 38-yard touchdown pass. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks and safety Diggs were chasing into Woolen’s area.

The Seahawks’ answer to that: Smith throwing behind Lockett over the middle. Niners safety Talanoa Hufanga tipped the errant pass up behind him to teammate Tashaun Gipson for an interception at midfield.

After a fourth-down stop by the defense, the Seahawks’ youth hurt them again, blowing a chance to get back in the game midway through the second quarter.

Waldron called a double pass, Smith to Walker on a lateral to the right, back left on a later to Smith, to leaping Metcalf all the way to the San Francisco 11-yard line. But officials called rookie right tackle Abe Lucas for being illegally beyond the line of scrimmage on the pass.

The Seahawks punted instead of scoring to end that drive.

Tyler Lockett turnover by his own man

Carroll had said this week Lockett would continue to get chances as the punt returner because the Pro Bowl returner from 2015 is so sure-handed and the team trusts him implicitly fielding punts.

About the only way Lockett can commit a turnover on a punt: getting run into by his own man.

Cornerback Xavier Crawford, promoted from the practice squad for the game, got pushed by a 49er into Lockett, causing him to drop a punt in the second quarter. San Francisco recovered the fumble.

Lockett said he should have alerted the new guy Crawford during the punt that he was getting dangerously close to him trying to block. But Lockett said he was more concerned with battling the rain and wind to secure the ball through it.

After that, Seahawks defensive tackle Bryan Mone got his helmet taken off by the hit of Kyle Juszczyk on the 49ers fullback’s bulling, 2-yard touchdown run. That made it 20-0 in the second quarter.

Coby Bryant the nickel

Justin Coleman’s calf injury made him inactive for the game. That meant rookie Coby Bryant’s debut as the primary fifth, nickel defensive back in passing situations. He played 66% of the defense’s snaps (50 of the 76).

The fourth-round draft choice was called for a soft, but-by-the-rule-book penalty for illegal contact on 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk late in the third quarter, after the Seahawks defense thought it was off the field with a third-down stop in a 20-7 game.

It was one of 10 penalties for 106 lost yards for Seattle. San Francisco had just one flag.

“We had 10 penalties. They had one. We had three turnovers. They had none,” Carroll said, almost spitting the words.

“It’s really hard to win this football game the way we did it.”

Damien Lewis injured again

A quarter and a half into his return from weeks out with a sprained ankle, left guard Damien Lewis left the game with a thigh injury in the first half.

Phil Haynes replaced Lewis. Haynes started last week’s opener.

Shelby Harris hurt

One week after a rousing revenge game against his former Broncos, Seahawks defensive lineman Shelby Harris left Sunday’s game in the first half with what the team announced as a gluteus-muscle injury. He got that after his third snap.

Carroll said it was a hamstring issue for the 31-year-old Harris, whom Seattle acquired as part of the trade of Wilson.

Harris’ injury meant more playing time for Mone. He played 33 of 76 snaps on defense.