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Once the tip toes of Vernon Davis got busy on Saturday afternoon in Seattle, it seems the rest of the 49ers followed suit. Or maybe Michael Crabtree’s hands and feet were responsible for the turnaround.

Either way, the team that trotted out from the visitor’s locker room after halftime finally looked like, well, the 49ers of 2011.

Following a forgettable first half that resulted in a 10-3 deficit, Jim Harbaugh’s men in the road whites took over the building. The defense tightened up, the offense executed, David Akers rewrote the NFL record books and Larry Grant ate some skittles.

By the time the clock struck zeroes, the scoreboard read 19-17, 49ers over Seahawks.

“When you have adversity and you’re able to respond,” Akers said, “I think that’s what you’re talking about as far as seeing a championship team develop.”

Streaking down the middle of the field, cutting from right to left, Crabtree started off the first play of the second half in a hurry. So Alex Smith made it count, heaving a pass to his sure-handed sidekick for a 27-yard gain.

That’s about when Davis got into the act, turning in a pair of toe-tapping sideline catches to keep the drive alive, paving the way for a punishing 4-yard touchdown by Frank Gore.

“We just put it on our mind to put some points on the board,” Crabtree said.

If Crabtree started things off, Grant added the exclamation point. And there was a whole bunch of Akers in between.

On the night he became the first man in NFL history to make more than 40 field goals in a season, Akers nailed the game-winner, a 39-yarder with 2:57 left in the game. True to form, Crabtree helped set up the decisive blow with a 41-yard catch down the left sideline earlier in the drive.

As crucial as Akers’ field goal was, it wouldn’t have meant a thing without another iconic play by the 49ers defense. This time around, Grant was the man of the hour, making his third straight start in the place of injured defensive captain Patrick Willis.

His team holding on to a 19-17 lead with just more than a minute to play, Grant bursted through the Seattle offensive line untouched, flushing quarterback Tarvaris Jackson out of the pocket.

Jackson got away, but not for long.

Grant kept up his pursuit and caught Jackson from behind, eventually knocking the ball – and the game – out of Jackson’s right hand. When Donte Whitner emerged from the pile with the pigskin, the comeback was complete.

“We had to gut out a hard one,” Grant said. “But you got to do what you got to do.”

Taking a cue from Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who routinely eats skittles during football games, Grant made his way towards the crowd after forcing the fumble. Once he reached seats behind the team bench, a member of the 49ers Faithful showered him with the bite-sized candies.

That’s not to say the second half didn’t feature some sour points, with Lynch being the main culprit.

Following a blocked punt that set up a first-and-goal from the San Francisco 4-yard line, Lynch carried the ball and snuck past the left pylon, scoring the first rushing touchdown on the 49ers all year. Not to mention he became the first runner in 37 games to eclipse the 100-yard mark against the 49ers, racking up 107 yards on 21 attempts.

Lynch did most of his damage in the first half, gaining 83 yards before intermission, but was eventually corralled as the game continued.

“(Defensive coordinator Vic) Fangio does a great job putting us through some adjustments,” Grant said. “In the first half, everybody could see it – they were bleeding us with the run. … Fangio just drew it up and we just did exactly what he told us to do.”

Aside from Lynch’s score, Seattle’s five second-half drives resulted in three punts, a fumble and a turnover on downs.

Meanwhile, the 49ers scored points on four of their five initial second-half drives, including three Akers field goals. For the season, Akers now has 42 made field goals, two better than the previous NFL mark of 40, set by Neil Rackers in 2005.

The 49ers offense looked like a well-oiled machine in the second half, with a strong performance from the offensive line. The big fellows up front created lanes for Gore, who had 23 carries for 83 yards, and rookie Kendall Hunter, who had a career-high 73 yards on 12 carries.

“We just kept with the game plan,” Joe Staley said.

Notes and Quotes

With the victory, the 49ers are in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. If the Atlanta Falcons defeat the New Orleans Saints on ”Monday Night Football,”  the 49ers will be awarded the No. 2 seed.

“We needed to win this game to get that bye,” Crabtree said. “We’ve been talking about  getting that bye, finishing this last game and really thinking about the playoffs after that.”

Tight end Delanie Walker was carted off the field in the first quarter after sustaining a head injury and did not return to action. Walker’s helmet was dislodged during a play and he received a knee to the head, before spending a few minutes on the turf to gather himself.

Kyle Williams filled in for the injured Ted Ginn Jr. at wide receiver and took over the return duties, but left the game after being tackled during a kick return in the second half. Williams turned in a 36-yard punt return and averaged 28.7 yards on kickoff returns.

Aldon Smith recorded another sack in the fourth quarter, running right by Seattle left tackle Paul McQuistan, to bring his season total to 14. Smith needs one more sack to surpass Jevon Kearse’s NFL single-season rookie record.

The 49ers defense can still make history against the St. Louis Rams next week, as no team has gone through a 16-game season and allowed less than two rushing touchdowns.