RENTON, Wash. (AP) — If the season is viewed in quarters, as Pete Carroll likes to do, then the third quarter was a complete disaster for the Seattle Seahawks and the fourth quarter needs to be nearly perfect for a team that believed it was playoff-caliber to reach its goal.

Seattle lost its fourth straight game on Sunday, 28-16 to San Francisco, another performance that widened the massive gap between the 49ers and Seahawks in the NFC West.

Losing four straight games is a first for Carroll in his Seattle tenure and dropped the Seahawks (6-7) below .500.

Suffering another loss was irritating enough for Carroll.

But the way it happened, with blown assignments and missed coverages on defense, seemed to leave the coach more flustered than usual.

That was just really frustrating because this was a chance to beat these guys at their place. We had a shot to do that,” Carroll said.

“We moved the football well enough to get some points on the board. We were going to have to stop them all night long. We didn’t get it done.”

Seattle gave up 527 total yards to the 49ers and San Francisco averaged nearly a first down every snap.

That the Niners scored only 28 points might be the most surprising aspect of the outcome.

The schedule has been brutal for Seattle and injuries haven’t helped, including Sunday when starting quarterback Geno Smith was sidelined by a groin injury and Drew Lock started.

And snapping the losing streak and getting back into the playoff conversation doesn’t get any easier with a visit from Philadelphia this week.

The Seahawks had nine plays of 20 yards or more on offense, the most of any game this season. Seattle’s previous high for 20-yard plays was six against Cincinnati, and the Seahawks had just two in their first meeting with San Francisco.

As a group, Seattle has one of the highest-paid set of safeties in the league and none appear to be playing up to the level of their salaries.

Jamal Adams was badly beat on third-and-11, giving up a 54-yard touchdown to Deebo Samuel. Quandre Diggs appeared to be out of position on Christian McCaffrey’s 72-yard run to start the game.

Julian Love had the most productive day with an interception and forced fumble, but also appeared to get beat on a handful of plays.

Lock was more than serviceable filling in for Smith and making his first start since the end of the 2021 season.

Lock threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

A couple more of his passes could have been picked off as well.

But for the most part, Lock looked comfortable in the pocket, made smart reads and used his legs when needed.

There are a few decisions he would like back, but he flashed some of the skills that made him a second-round draft pick.

DK Metcalf again found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reason after his retaliation led to his ejection in the fourth quarter.

Metcalf had reason to be upset after Fred Warner gave him an unnecessary hit from behind following an interception — especially considering Metcalf’s history of suffering a neck injury in college.

But his reaction led to an all-out scuffle, and he was deemed the instigator.

Metcalf has shown in the past his emotions can get the better of him and opponents have tried to create situations where he will react adversely, with Sunday the latest example.