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49ers take on Seahawks in NFC West showdown

Sep 30, 2007 - 12:23 PM Seattle (2-1) at San Francisco (2-1) Sunday 4:05 pm EDT

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) -- The San Francisco 49ers want to change the power structure in the NFC West.

The 49ers can take the first step toward that goal when they host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The Seahawks have won three straight division titles but San Francisco served noticed that it would be a threat by sweeping the season series in 2006, including a 24-14 win at Seattle in Week 15.

First, though, the 49ers need to get their offense untracked. San Francisco needed a last-minute drive to edge the Arizona Cardinals, 20-17, in its opener, and squeaked past the St. Louis Rams, 17-16, the following week despite managing just eight first downs.

The good fortune came to a screeching halt Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers used 20 fourth-quarter points to pull away for a 37-16 rout.

Running back Frank Gore was limited to 39 yards on 14 carries while quarterback Alex Smith turned in another mediocre effort, finishing 17-of-35 for 209 yards, a touchdown and one interception.

Gore shredded the Seahawks for 356 yards in the two games last season, including a career-high and team-record 212 in the first meeting.

Darrell Jackson, who joined the 49ers after spending seven seasons with Seattle, has 11 receptions for 166 yards in the first three games.

The Seahawks (2-1) needed a clutch late drive to overcome the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-21, on Sunday.

Matt Hasselbeck threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nate Burleson for the go-ahead score with one minute remaining.

Burleson finished with six receptions for 76 yards, by far his best performance since signing a seven-year, $49 million contract with Seattle in 2006. He has only 18 receptions in 16 games last season.

It was the 17th career fourth-quarter comeback for Hasselbeck, who completed 24-of-37 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns.

Shaun Alexander, playing despite a cracked bone in his wrist, gained 100 yards on 21 carries, including a key 14-yard run on a 4th-and-1 on the winning drive.

"A game like this, if you are fortunate to win a game like this, it is a good building block for your season," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "Every phase of our football team contributed. You can build on that."