Seahawks 23, 49ers 17: Russell Wilson threw for 215 yards and the go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter as host Seattle advanced to the Super Bowl for the second time in nine seasons.

Marshawn Lynch rushed for 109 yards and a touchdowns and the Seahawks forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter to set up a meeting with AFC champion Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII on Feb. 2 - a matchup that will feature the league's No. 1 defense against Peyton Manning and the top-ranked offense. Seattle snuffed out San Francisco's last hope when Richard Sherman deflected a pass that teammate Malcolm Smith picked off in the end zone with 22 seconds to play.

Wilson finished 16-of-25 and put the top-seeded Seahawks (15-3) ahead to stay, connecting with Jermaine Kearse on a 35-yard scoring strike with 13:44 to play on fourth-and-7 to make it 20-17. The touchdown came after Seattle's field goal unit was late getting on the field, forcing coach Pete Carroll to call a timeout and eventually decide against the kick.

Colin Kaepernick threw for 153 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and ran for 130 yards on 11 carries for the 49ers (14-5), who had their eight-game winning streak snapped and were denied in their bid for a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Kaepernick committed three costly turnovers in the final 10:07, fumbling once and throwing a pair of picks.

Kam Chancellor intercepted Kaepernick with just over 7 1/2 minutes remaining, leading to Steven Hauschka's third field goal - a 47-yarder - for a 23-17 edge with 3:37 to play. Kaepernick drove San Francisco to Seattle's 18-yard line, keeping the drive alive on a 17-yard pass to Frank Gore on fourth down, before his intended pass to Michael Crabtree in the right corner of the end zone was batted by Sherman into the arms of Smith.

With the Seahawks trailing 10-3 at halftime, Lynch broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run on Seattle's first possession of the third quarter to tie it at 10-10 and Kaepernick responded with a 26-yard jump pass to Anquan Boldin in the end zone. Hauschka connected from 40 yards out to cut the deficit to 17-13 with 3:55 left in the third before the fourth-down gamble paid off when Kearse outjumped Carlos Rogers in the end zone for the go-ahead TD.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin had six catches for 106 yards, including a 51-yard catch to set up Hauschka's first field goal, and a 69-yard kick return that led to Hauschka's second field goal. ... Kaepernick registered the second-best rushing performance by a quarterback in the playoffs, trailing only his record 181-yard effort against Green Bay in January 2013. ... Lynch's touchdown run was his sixth in the postseason and the second-longest in franchise playoff history, behind his 67-yarder versus New Orleans in 2010. ... Niners Pro Bowl LB NaVorro Bowman appeared to suffer a serious knee injury when he pried the ball loose from Kearse at the goal line while Pro Bowl LG Mike Iupati exited with an ankle injury on Dixon's TD plunge and had to be assisted off the field.