A quick observation of quarterback Colin Kaepernick and how he played in the San Francisco 49ers' 17-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15:

Early on against the Seahawks, the suddenly happy-go-lucky-with-the-media Kaepernick looked like his old self. He was an actual running threat and his legs were keeping Seattle’s ferocious defense honest. But then the Seahawks’ front seven wore down the Niners’ offensive line, and Kaepernick was neutralized.

And not only as a runner.

Kaepernick, who completed 11 of 19 passes for 141 yards without a touchdown or interception, attempted only four passes of at least 10 yards, per Pro Football Focus.

He was also sacked on five of the Seahawks’ nine blitzes, and five of his designed runs -- he had nine carries total -- went for 30 yards.

“I really thought he played valiantly yesterday,” Niners coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday in his weekly news conference. “I thought he really was playing well, doing his job extremely well. He was a live player.

“We talked about, maybe there was a patch there [earlier in the season] that he went through, but I really felt like he came out of that yesterday and played extremely well.”

With the defeat, Kaepernick’s record in Seattle fell to 0-4, including the playoffs, and his overall record against the Seahawks is 1-5.