This Week in 49ers History: Week 11, 2006

Ahead of the Niners' with the New York Giants, Paul Kadwill delves into the archives to take a look at a memorable Week 11 clash from years gone by.

A more recent trip back in time this week as we go back eight seasons to 2006 for a Week 11 battle against the Seattle Seahawks.

The 2006 season was the 49ers' second with head coach Mike Nolan at the helm. Nolan was looking to improve on his debut year with San Francisco, which saw the Niners finish 4-12. Taking charge of coordinating the offense was Norv Turner, who had been let go as the head coach for the Oakland Raiders after the end of the 2005 campaign.

Turner remains a well respected and experienced coach and much was expected of him during his tenure with the 49ers, although his system - much aligned with the ‘Air Coryell’ system of the 1980s - was markedly different to the West Coast offense that San Francisco had been famous for in the past.

The previous offensive coordinator, Mike McCarthy, left San Francisco after the 2005 season to become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. McCarthy was the last connection to the original West Coast offense coaching tree of Bill Walsh.

On offense, the 49ers had little in the way of experience but they had some promising young players who would mature through 2006 and beyond, many of whom are still enjoying successful careers today. Frank Gore and Alex Smith were both entering their second year for the team whilst the 2006 draft saw tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker join the team.

Defensively, the 49ers were somewhat weak although they were still fortunate to have one or two ageing veterans to rely upon including cornerback Walt Harris and linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, while the consistently brilliant Bryant Young served as the final tie to the the team that won Super Bowl XXIX.

When Mike Nolan was brought in to try to turn the team around, one of the most important factors was his defensive prowess. In order to improve the performance of the defense, Nolan looked to bolster the core of the unit through the draft and drafted two linebackers who would provide useful service for several years, namely Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson.

Lawson showed flashes of promise and proved to be a steady if unspectacular player for the 49ers. By contrast, Haralson became a stalwart of the 49ers defense as it developed into a competitive unit and it was only when the current crop of even more talented players arrived that Haralson would see diminished playing time before moving to New Orleans.

In the first 10 weeks of the 2006 season San Francisco had compiled a 4-5 record with a trend for winning by small margins but losing by large ones. Their worst loss of the season came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, who thrashed the Niners 41-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 4.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks were coming off of a Super Bowl appearance in 2005 after comfortably winning the NFC West with a 13-3 record. They started 2006 with three wins in a row and, by the time they travelled to Candlestick Park, Seattle stood at 6-3.

The Game

After the 49ers did nothing on their opening drive, Seattle quarterback Seneca Wallace looked set to put points on board as he leaned heavily on running back Shaun Alexander to move the Seahawks down to the San Francisco 44-yard line.

But Wallace then quickly turned the ball over, throwing a deep shot that was intercepted by safety Keith Lewis.

On first down the ball was handed to tailback Gore, who eluded the defensive line and broke into the open field, only for cornerback Marcus Trufant to bring him down but not before a gain of 51 yards. 

Quarterback Smith then found tight end Eric Johnson for 18 yards but a delay of game penalty on third down proved costly as the Niners were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Joe Nedney.

Following another Seahawks three-and-out the Niners were pinned back at the six-yard line after a booming 57-yard punt. Yet once more Gore was able to move the hosts away from their own end zone, although this particular drive stalled just after the 49ers' 20-yard line.

Losing two yards on their first play of the subsequent drive, the Seahawks called for another pass downfield, obviously still confident that their receiving corps could beat a 49er secondary that had failed to shine in 2006. Once again they were proved wrong, though, as Harris intercepted a ball meant for Deion Branch.

The 49ers took over on Seattle's 40 yard line and immediately looked to build a commanding lead.
Smith found wide receiver Antonio Bryant for 16 yards, a play that moved them up to the Seahawks 24-yard line.

With the Seahawks defense rattled, wide receiver Bryan Gilmore gained 10 yards on a reverse play and the 49ers were knocking on the door of the Seattle end zone. Three plays later on third down, Smith found Arnaz Battle for a nine-yard touchdown to put the Niners up 10-0.

It was not just the Seattle defense that was rattled. After two interceptions and barely any production, the Seahawks offense struggling too. Another quick three-and-out and the 49ers attack was on the field again.

Frank Gore continued to feast on the Seattle defense, rushing for 20 yards on first down. Not to be outdone, Smith hit Battle for 23 yards and the offense was rolling. Gore came up with another huge play, with a 23-yard rush taking the Niners down to the Seahawks three-yard line.

Newly drafted fullback Michael Robinson moved the ball another two yards before Alex Smith 
scampered into the endzone on a quarterback keeper to increase the lead to 17-0.

The already hyperactive home crowd was sent into delirium on the very next play after the resulting kick-off as Wallace completed a short pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens, who gained 18 yards until he was met by Mark Roman. The 49er safety dislodged the ball, which was then scooped up by Lewis and returned 23 yards to the Seattle 31-yard line.

Several players later and the Niners found themselves seven yards away from the end zone in the final seconds of the first half. Smith attempted to get the ball beyond the goal-line, however, his pass to Battle was completed one yard shy, forcing Nedney to knock through an 18-yard field goal to give San Francisco a 20-0 lead at half-time.

On the restart of the second half it soon became apparent that the Seahawks' half-time adjustments had made a difference. Alexander led the visitors into Niners territory before Wallace a 38-yard touchdown pass to Branch to cut the gap to 13 points.

Both teams then traded punts prior to another 50-yard run on first down from Gore, who exploited a gaping hole created by left guard Larry Allen, the 35-year-old former secured a Pro Bowl appearance after a fine 2006 campaign.

The latest big run by Gore moved the 49ers onto the Seattle 30-yard line and it looked as if the success seen in the first half was set to return after a fruitless third quarter.

Yet it wasn't to be, the drive came up 13 yards shy of paydirt, leaving the Niners to settle for a Nedney field goal that was blocked as the momentum swung in Seattle's favour.

The visitors could not take advantage, however, the Seahawks forced to punt again as the game entered the fourth quarter. Still, Seattle would not have to wait long to get the ball back following another unsuccessful 49ers drive that saw a 43-yard pass from Smith to Bryant wiped out by a holding penalty called on Jonas Jennings, handing Seattle the ball with a little over eight minutes to play.

Wallace found his rhythm again and, after being aided by an illegal contact penalty on the 49ers, hit a 41-yard touchdown pass to wideout Darrell Jackson. Seattle, who looked to be dead and buried after the first two quarters, were now just six points behind with nearly seven minutes still on the clock.

San Francisco's offense was on the field for just another three plays before turning possesion back over to the Seahawks, who now had the chance to take the lead. After picking up 11 yards, the Hawks were on their own 28 when Marques Douglas came up with a huge sack that lost the visitors 10 yards.

Facing 3rd and 20 on their own 18, Wallace found Branch for 19 yards to make it 4th and 1. With the game on the line Seattle went for it. Wallace handed off to Alexander who was hit instantly by future Hall of Famer Bryant Young for a 1 yard loss. The 49ers took over on the Seattle 36 as the two minute warning sounded.

At the restart the 49ers were looking to eat up the clock and therefore handed it off to the red-hot Gore, however, his luck then evaded him as Lofa Tutapu forced a fumble that was recovered by Seattle to give the Seahawks another chance to try to complete the comeback.

Wallace was immediately sacked by Roderick Green for a nine-yard loss on the very next play and then tossed an interception to Harris.

San Francisco ate up a further 40 seconds of clock before going for a field goal, but the 27 yard chip shot missed. Once again, though, Seattle could not take advantage of the Niners' miscues and after three straight incomplete passes, had one final chance to save the game on fourth down. 

Wallace found Mack Strong for 13 yards but the fullback was stripped by corner Marcus Hudson, who recovered the ball to ensure a 49ers win.

The victory elevated the 49ers to 5-5 and allow the team to pull closer to Seattle in the NFC West standings.

Frank Gore finished with a mammoth 212 yards rushing on 24 attempts but did not score a touchdown. Gore ended the season with 1695 rushing yards and a trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. His counterpart Shaun Alexander put up just 37 yards rushing in the game as he was shut down by the much maligned 49ers defense that served as the main reason why the Niners pulled off the upset triumph over their enemies.

Extra special praise went to Walt Harris for his pair of interceptions. Harris also went to the Pro Bowl after a strong campaign.

The 49ers would finish 2006 with a 7-9 record, two games back from the NFC West champion Seahawks. Although third place in the NFC West was not what they had hoped for, the Niners had achieved their best record since 2003.