Seattle Seahawks: 3 things we learned

SEATTLE -- Thomas Rawls found out he'd be the starting running back for the Seattle Seahawks when he arrived for the game Sunday and got a message from Marshawn Lynch.

"Marshawn came up to me and said, 'Look young 'un, I'm going to pass you the torch for the day, you know what to do," Rawls said. Lynch, Seattle's top back, was ruled inactive for the game with an abdominal injury.

Rawls didn't just take the torch, he had the best game ever by a Seattle rookie running back, rushing for a team rookie record 209 yards and a touchdown score to lead the Seahawks to a 29-13 win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

"We're all just fired up about what Thomas Rawls did," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "To see a young guy come through and be so physical and so tough and to make the most of an opportunity."

It was the first time Seattle had a player rush for more than 200 yards since Shaun Alexander had 201 yards against Green Bay on Nov. 27, 2006. Rawls has started four games this season and has the two best rushing games for the Seahawks. The previous best was Rawls' 169 yards on Oct. 11 against Cincinnati.

Rawls' biggest play of the day, though, came on a pass in the fourth quarter. Rawls swung out of the backfield, made the catch and blew past 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite to go 31 yards down the left side for a touchdown.

"I think he thought I was going to go out of bounds," Rawls said. "But little did he know, I'm not going out of bounds. I'm looking for contact."

The score gave the Seahawks a 29-13 lead and effectively ended the hopes of the 49ers (3-7).

Wide receiver Tyler Lockett had a pair of touchdown catches for the Seahawks, who are 5-5 and are still alive in the playoff hunt.

Things we learned about the Seahawks:

1. Marshawn Lynch has been one of the top running backs in football with the Seahawks, but with their star out, the Seattle running game didn't miss a beat. Rookie Thomas Rawls' 209-yard performance was the second best in team history, behind Shaun Alexander's 266-yard game against Oakland on Nov. 11, 2001. Rawls is also the first undrafted free agent to have two game of more than 160 rushing yards in a season.

2. The Seahawks' defensive weakness continues to be tight ends. San Francisco's touchdown was to tight end Vance McDonald, and it seemed like anytime the 49ers were able to pull off a big play it was a pass to a tight end. "That's something Seattle has given up a lot," McDonald said. "A lot of teams have gone in and their tight ends have left the game with multiple touchdowns, multiple yards. We took advantage of it tonight."

3. Seattle doesn't have a dominant receiver in the passing game -- instead quarterback Russell Wilson like to distribute the ball. Against the 49ers eight different players caught at least one pass, and seven of them had at least two. "The great thing about us is we have so many guys who can be the hot hand," Wilson said. "It makes football fun for me, in terms of just thinking about all the different things we can do."

Etc.:

--RB Marshawn Lynch was inactive Sunday with an abdominal injury, and coach Pete Carroll said the running back would be going to see a specialist in Philadelphia on Monday to determine the extent of the injury. Carroll said he couldn't rule out the possibility that Lynch might have a sports hernia. "These injuries have a way of being really difficult to figure out," Carroll said. "It's hard to detect what it is at this point."

--WR Tyler Lockett had four catches for 48 yards to go along with his two touchdowns. The rookie receiver is known for his speed, but he also showed that he's not afraid of contact when he pushed his way into the end zone over defenders for his second touchdown. "He's an aggressive kid," Carroll said. "He's so quick he can catch people when they're not quite ready for the hit."

--DE Cliff Avril had both of Seattle's sacks on 49ers QB Blaine Gabbert, the first time this season Avril has had two sacks in a game (he recorded 1 1/2 sacks when the teams played in San Francisco earlier this season). "It's hard to get a rush on (Gabbert) but our d-line contained him for the most part," Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said. "Cliff got a couple sacks and we were able to execute effectively."