SEATTLE — It wasn’t long after the Seahawks had wrapped up their 23-17 victory over the 49ers in Sunday night’s NFL Championship before receiver Doug Baldwin embarked on a familiar theme. Baldwin is on a mission to convince everyone his team’s wideouts take far too much abuse because of their relatively modest production.
Baldwin caught a game-high six passes for 106 yards in Seattle’ s 23-17 triumph over the 49ers in the NFC Championship, including a 51-yarder in the second quarter with his team trailing 10-0 that led to a field goal.
“It irritates the hell out of me when you have guys that constantly want to talk about our receiving corps,’’ Baldwin said. “Talking about how we’re average, we’re pedestrian. Well, we’re going to walk our ass to the Super Bowl, pedestrian.’’
With two weeks before the Super Bowl, the Seahawks expect to have their receiving corps bolstered by the return of Percy Harvin from a concussion suffered last week against the Saints.
This is the second time in franchise history the Seahawks (15-3) have made it to the Super Bowl. They were beaten 21-10 by the Steelers in Super Bowl XL in Detroit after the 2005 season. … It was a bitter loss for the 49ers, who were in their third consecutive NFC title game and were looking to return to a second straight Super Bowl after a 34-31 loss last year to the Ravens. “It’s great competition,’’ coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Not many people get to be in this arena. Proud of our guys for the fight they showed today and all season.’’ …
Had the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl, they would have had to play without key players on both sides of the ball. Linebacker NaVorro Bowman went down in the fourth quarter with what Harbaugh said appears to be a torn left ACL, and left guard Mike Iupati was injured in the second quarter with what Harbaugh said is a fractured ankle while blocking on Anthony Dixon’s 1-yard TD leap.
The Seahawks are 9-2 all-time in the playoffs and have won seven straight overall in the postseason. … Marshawn Lynch ran 22 times for 109 yards, including a 40-yard TD. … Other than Colin Kaepernick ’s 130 rushing yards, the 49ers got nothing accomplished on the ground. Frank Gore (11 carries, 14 yards) was stopped in his tracks. Big-play tight end Vernon Davis (2 catches, 16 yards) also was held in check. … On the closing seconds, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said, “To be honest with you, the thing that I thought about on the last snap was, ‘Man, I could have been playing baseball right now.’ The other thing I thought about is just all the people that told me I couldn’t get here.’’