Seattle Seahawks Brutal First Half vs. San Francisco 49ers 'Concerning' Says Pete Carroll

The Seattle Seahawks lost ground in the NFC West race, with a poor first half the catalyst for the 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Seattle Seahawks, in a prime-time game with the NFC West on the line, failed to get out of the starting blocks, while the San Francisco 49ers were shot out of a cannon.

The 31-13 loss at Lumen Field on Thursday was brutal for Seattle as the first half showed that the gap between the two is still considerably large despite what the Seahawks have said. 

With just over two minutes to go in the first half, the Seahawks had only mustered 15 total yards of offense and had held the ball for just 6:50 as the 49ers did as they pleased.

For Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, given what was at stake in the game, the way his team started has given him something to think about.

"Yeah, they put together a great drive, right down the field, couldn't do anything with it," Carroll said. "We get nothing out of the first drive and Geno [Smith] gets tripped in the second drive and gives us a long situation, and it just went their way early on. Yeah, it was concerning. It was really hard is what it was."

The 49ers' defense has a knack for making offenses look less than NFL standard, and the Seahawks struggled to get anything going in the first half. While in the second, the tide changed somewhat, the damage was already done.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll says the first-half performance vs. the 49ers was concerning / © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

With some calling the game a "measuring stick" for the Seahawks, the way in which the 49ers manhandled them in their own building is concerning not only for Carroll, but the fans as well.

After saying the "gap has closed" prior to the clash, it sure didn't seem like it in the first half. For those saying Seattle's credentials took a hit, quarterback Geno Smith says that while it was a brutal loss, it is only one game.

“It's one game," Smith said. "One game. We lost one game. They beat us. Hats off to them. They're a really good team."

The Seahawks now get a mini-bye before they face another daunting task - the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Thursday Night Football in Week 13.

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While Smith is going for the “it’s only one game” approach, if the Seahawks produce another first-half effort as they did vs. the 49ers in Dallas, then it will be more than one game of disappointment and Carroll won't be the only one concerned with the offense.