The Seahawks were favored and covered a spread, you say?
This was classic Seahawks, for the most part. The defense shut out the 49ers for most of the first half, until they got a field goal on their final drive. Not for nothing, but the defense also accounted for the 7 points the Seahawks had at halftime, by picking off a pass deep in 49ers territory. It was 7-3 at the break, but it felt like 70-3.
The 49ers got another field goal on their first drive of the second half, but after that the offense picked it up. The 49ers wouldn’t score again until the final play of the game, hitting on a garbage-time touchdown against a bunch of reserve defenders, making the final score 24-13.
Russell Wilson had an efficient game, throwing for 228, running for another 25, and accounting for all three touchdowns. Paul Richardson had a nice little game, catching 4 balls for 70 yards; Jimmy Graham had 3 for 34 and a touchdown; all told, 7 receivers caught passes from Wilson, and all of them had at least 2 receptions.
If there’s a quibble, it’s – of course – the running game, which was decidedly NOT “Classic Seahawks”. Eddie Lacy led the way – the same way a crash test dummy “leads the way” into a brick wall – with 17 carries for 46 yards. He showed zero elusiveness, zero ability to push the pile forward, and in general zero ability PERIOD. But, beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. J.D. McKissic was more effective, with 22 yards on 4 carries, but it’s unknown at this time how effective he’d be with an increased workload. We probably use him just the right amount, if I’m being honest (he also had 4 catches for 24 yards).
The real shock was the fact that Thomas Rawls was active, yet didn’t record a single carry, and may have been on the field for just a handful (one?) of plays. He was ripped by Tom Cable earlier in the week for playing running back like a fucking spaz, so that’s probably part of it, but it was all the more surprising that he didn’t at least get some garbage time touches to see if he could run more effectively. Considering Mike Davis should be back this week, it’ll be interesting to see what that means for Rawls going forward. He might not get much play the rest of the season unless guys start getting injured (which, if you’ve seen the Seahawks the last couple years, you’ll know it’s a virtual certainty that he’ll be starting games before too long).
It was nice to see the defense look like its old elite self. Of course, this is the 1-win 49ers, so it’s not like the task was too big. Nevertheless, the line got great pressure on the quarterback, Bobby Wagner continued his All Pro calibre play, and we were able to keep Carlos Hyde & Co. in check.
The win brought the Seahawks to 7-4, with a showdown against the Eagles coming up next Sunday night. The Rams handled the Saints at home to stay a game up at 8-3. And, the Wild Card teams (Carolina & Atlanta) both won to keep pace. You could argue the Lions losing on Thanksgiving helps the Seahawks (who currently sit 7th in the NFC), but the real big help will come from the fact that there are currently 3 NFC South teams in playoff contention, and they should all beat up on one another pretty good the rest of the way.