by Daisy Barringer

Remember how, at the start of the season, I promised I would work on my football-watching behavior? Fewer F-bombs, less anger, an overall less dramatic disposition? All I can say is that it’s a miracle I lasted as long as I did and that no one girl could be expected to remain lady-like and poised during the debacle that was the 49ers in Seattle last night.

In some ways, not much needs saying. The Niners were horrible in every single facet that is football. The offense was terrible: Colin Kaepernick has his worst outing yet and Gore was a complete non-factor. The defense was even worse, allowing Seattle to put 42 points on the board and rush for a season-high 176 yards. Special teams was a debacle, as always, with Akers chip-shot field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown. But the very worst part? The coaching. I can’t even with the coaching. Pathetic. Absolutely and totally pathetic. Sorry if your birthday sucked, Harbaugh, but you kind of did it to yourself.

According to my friends on Facebook and Twitter, the fact that I am willing to criticize the 49ers makes me “a hater,” “too sensitive,” and apparently worst of all: “not sexy.” Because clearly as a girl who lives in trucker hats and puffy vests, trying to arouse randoms with my sex appeal is big on my list of priorities. Oddly, this is actually the first season where I’ve had people consistently annoyed with my feedback and opinions about the team. I suspect it’s mostly because more people are watching since the Niners have (had?) a chance to go to the Super Bowl. No one cared what I said four years ago because we were a joke so they weren’t even paying attention.

To those people, I say: If you can’t handle that I have an opinion about the team, don’t follow me on Twitter or look at my posts on Facebook. Certainly don’t read my articles here. (Don’t worry SFist, they’ll still click; they can’t help it.) Being a fan doesn’t mean loving the team blindly. It means being faithful, passionate, and intense. It means being obsessed with your team. It means living vicariously through the wins and losses. Very few people are more devoted to the 49ers than I, but I would be remiss in my duty as a fan if I didn’t react negatively to big losses and egregious errors.

I will admit that debating if Alex Smith should be starting instead of Colin Kaepernick is officially a moot point. Harbaugh has 100 percent consumed the Kaepernick Kool-Aid and I don’t think we should expect to see Smith on the field again unless Kaepernick gets injured. I have not changed my mind: I wish Harbaugh had waited until next year to play Kap and that Smith hadn’t lost his job due to a concussion, but even I am starting to grow weary of beating a dead horse.

What’s undeniable though is that Kaepernick did not look like a starting NFL quarterback last night in Seattle. He looked confused, uncertain, and overwhelmed.

Terrible play fakes, wasted time outs, delay of game penalties, an inane interception, and his overall worst performance since becoming the starter. Three for 11 on third downs and a touchdown only after the game was long over. Not for nothing, but Alex Smith won his last four starts in Seattle. Just sayin’.

Of course, Kaepernick doesn’t carry the burden of the 42- 13 loss all on his shoulders. The defense simply did not show up. Justin Smith on the sidelines was clearly a huge factor with Aldon Smith unable to get sacks and Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch running straight at—and all over—Smith’s replacement, Ricky Jean Francois.

In short: every single player and coach pretty much sucked. Except LaMichael James. He’s an excellent addition to the team.

But the worst part? Not only did we get our asses handed to us, there were some brutal injuries.

Tight end Vernon Davis left the game with a concussion after a brutal hit from Seattle defender Kam Chancellor. He claims it’s only a “mild” concussion, but who knows what that really means.

Wide receiver Mario Manningham did something horrible to his knee and had to be helped off of the field. Apparently x-rays were “negative” (whatever that means), but I can’t imagine him playing next week after seeing the pain on his face.

Rumor has it Justin Smith won’t be ready to play next week either, which, even though we’re facing off against Arizona, is a huge bummer. Clearly he’s an invaluable part of our defense.

Ultimately, whatever the reason, the 49ers simply cannot overcome this horrible WWL pattern. Which means we’ll beat Arizona, win our first playoff game, and then lose the next one. Which, sadly, seems just about right.

I want the Niners to go to the Super Bowl more than just about anything in my entire life. Right now, I’m not sure they can get there. Last year we won eight in a row; this year we haven’t won even three in a row. Last year was magical; this year, that fairy tale story just isn’t there. If we are going to make it to the Super Bowl though, we really, really need to beat Arizona next week and it would be an enormous help if the Vikings could beat Green Bay.

Sadly, I don’t know if I see the latter happening which means the Niners might very well end up facing off against Seattle in just a few short weeks. The good part is I don’t see us bending over and letting them dismantle us like that ever again. Or at least not in the very near future.

It’s hard not to feel a little down after being destroyed by a team like Seattle. I accused the 49ers of ruining Christmas on Twitter, but that’s not even fair. Probably I’ll get too drunk tonight and do that all on my own. I suggested that Harbaugh punch Pete Carroll in the face during the post-game handshake, but I suppose it’s better for everyone that he remained calm and composed. At one point, I even wished for Kap to get injured so that Smith could go in. That one I’m not quite ready to take back…

The Niners are now 10-4-1. We still have a shot at winning the division and we still have a shot at earning that first round bye. I believe we can do it. We’ve all just gotta have a little faith. But if we don’t? Probably I’ll be there shaking my head, saying, "I told you so."

Prove me wrong, boys. Please.

I hope you all have the happiest of holidays. Even you, David Akers. Even you. And as always: go Niners! Go Niners.