San Francisco, Oct 23 (EFE; odds by IDS).– The Seattle Seahawks got their swagger back on defense and received solid offensive contributions from Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch in a 20-3 away victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

After blowing fourth quarter leads in two consecutive games and three contests this season, the two-time defending NFC champions were never in danger Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, against the struggling 49ers, who had more punts (9) than first downs (8) and amassed just 142 total yards of offense.

Lynch put the Seahawks (3-4) ahead with a one-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter, capping off a 12-play drive that included six plays starting with second-and-1 on the 49ers’ three yard line.

He finished the game with 27 rushes for 122 yards.

Seattle’s other touchdown came on a 43-yard pass play from Wilson to rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett with just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter, which ended with the Seahawks on top 17-0.

Wilson picked apart San Francisco’s defense, completing 18 of 24 passes for 235 yards, but he also was sacked on five occasions and threw two interceptions.

The second half provided little entertainment value, with each team getting just one field goal each.

San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick passed for just 124 yards and the team’s offensive line woes led to him being sacked six times, while running back Carlos Hyde managed just 40 yards rushing on 11 carries.

These two teams played each other in the NFC Championship Game just two seasons ago, but both squads came into Thursday night’s contest with 2-4 records and were desperate for a win to boost their playoff chances.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said afterward that his team, known for its “Legion of Boom” secondary and stingy defense overall, had recovered its formula for winning games.

“It felt like a really normal Seahawk night tonight. Defense played really well all night. … Nice to see us run the football again and run it with some authority,” Carroll said.

The win was also the Seahawks’ first road win this season in four contests.

“The idea was to believe in one another,” Wilson said about the team’s mental state after two straight losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers and a pair of close defeats earlier in the season against the St. Louis Rams and the Green Bay Packers.

“We lost four tough games, but we thought we could have won” them, the quarterback added.

The 49ers (2-5), who suffered their fourth blowout loss of the season, have struggled under new head coach Jim Tomsula and were unable to put together a two-game winning streak for the first time this season.

Kaepernick’s latest subpar performance also raised more questions about whether he is the team’s answer at quarterback going forward. EFE

With this victory by Seattle, sportsbooks in Costa Rica are busy adjusting their odds and moving their lines. According to Pay-Per-Head provider IDS, the Seahawks have greatly improved their odds of making the playoffs and even the Super Bowl.

In late September, the odds of Seattle making the NFL playoffs were about 45 percent. These days, those odds are greater than 50 percent. The Seahawks are tied with the Denver Broncos to win the Super Bowl; Green Bay and New England are the favorites.