SEATTLE (Ticker) -- Matt Hasselbeck, Ken Hamlin and the young Seattle Seahawks played with veteran poise down the stretch.
Hasselbeck led the go-ahead drive and the rookie Hamlin recovered a key fumble as the Seahawks edged the San Francisco 49ers, 20-19, after blowing an early 17-point lead.
Seattle scored the game's first 17 points but fell behind, 19-17, after a 33-yard field goal by Owen Pochman with 8:09 remaining.
But Hasselbeck immediately righted the reeling Seahawks, scrambling for a season-high 17 yards on 3rd-and-4 from the Seattle 41 before Josh Brown kicked a 37-yard field goal just inside the right upright with 3:09 left.
"We had an inside route to Bobby (Engram), but the guy covered it," Hasselbeck said. "They were playing a two-man (deep zone) and there's no one left to cover the quarterback. So I recognized it, made a cut and took off."
The 49ers drove to their 43 by the two-minute warning, but Seattle linebacker Chad Brown poked the ball loose from Garrison Hearst, and Hamlin - a safety who earlier had been whistled for two roughing penalties - pounced on it at the San Francisco 46.
"It was an inside blitz and I was expecting pass," Brown said. "I was trying to get out of Hearst's way so he couldn't block me. Once I saw that he had the ball, all I could do was try to chop the ball out."
"To have a chance to redeem myself and help the team out after I let them down with my penalties feels good," Hamlin said.
Hasselbeck completed a tough third-down pass to Koren Robinson along the right sideline, Shaun Alexander rushed for another first down and the Seahawks ran out the clock.
"The play is designed to throw to the tight ends but they took them both away," Hasselback said of his pass to Robinson. "In practice, Koren has never gotten the ball on that play. I'm glad that he ran his route and made a great play to put the game away."
"They took away the tight ends and I was singled up, so I knew I was getting the ball and had to run a good route," Robinson said.
Hasselbeck completed 17-of-27 passes for 207 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Seattle (4-1), which is off to its best start since 1986.
Garcia went 16-of-27 for 168 yards and ran for a score for the Niners (2-4), who fell 2 1/2 games behind the Seahawks in the NFC West.
"At times, we were our own worst enemy with our lack of discipline," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "But our guys persevered. This was a division opponent and they found a way to win it. Each win helps us build confidence but this win gives us room in the division, which is something we haven't had in a while."
After Pochman shanked a 38-yard field goal well right 2:42 into the contest, Hasselbeck lead the Seahawks on an eight-play, 72-yard drive, which culminated in a 15-yard pass to tight end Itula Mili.
Seattle opened a 10-0 lead on a 27-yard field goal by Josh Brown on the first play of the second quarter before Matt Strong made it 17-0 with a 21-yard run around left end with 5:04 remaining.
Pochman got the Niners on the board with a 42-yard kick with three seconds to play in the half.
Heart's six-yard run pulled San Francisco within 17-10 4:22 into the second half before Tony Parrish intercepted Hasselbeck at the Seattle 34.
Five plays later, Garcia ran it in from two yards out to make it 17-16, but Pochman pushed the extra point wide after Bill Lafleur botched the hold. Lafleur righted the ball in time for Pochman to kick it cleanly, but Pochman appeared unnerved by having to stop and restart his momentum.
"I thought in the first half we just dug ourselves into a hole," said Niners coach Dennis Erickson, who coached Seattle from 1995-98. "We came out and played our rear ends out in the second half. We miss an extra point and it becomes a one-point game. This is a very disappointing loss as hard as we fought to come back."
San Francisco star receiver Terrell Owens had just four catches for 36 yards. In a Monday night victory here last year, he scored twice, causing controversy after the second score by pulling a Sharpie pen out of his sock, autographing the ball and handing it to his financial adviser in the crowd.
