Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 37-27 win over 49ers

The Seahawks are 6-1 going into a big battle with AFC East-leading Buffalo next week thanks to an impressive 37-27 win over the 49ers on Sunday.

Recap: Hawks beat 49ers | Wagner’s All-Pro day | D’s toughness returns

Seattle handled San Francisco thanks especially to a strong third quarter, and it perhaps most importantly got through a game where its roster was plenty depleted by injuries without suffering further issues.

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have enlisted the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle to share their initial thoughts on the win. Keep in mind, this is just a taste of the reaction you’ll be able to hear all day Monday on the station beginning at 7 a.m. with Danny and Gallant and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30.

The Groz – Every day at 11:45 a.m. with John Clayton

On a day when they were missing a ton of players, after a week where their toughness was questioned, the Seahawks excelled at all three aspects of the game through three quarters in knocking off the 49ers by double digits.

It was easily the Seahawks’ most complete game despite the 49ers’ fourth quarter rally. The Seahawks were physically dominant throughout most of the game, even knocking out George Kittle and Jimmy Garoppolo on their way to improving to 6-1.

Credit the Niners for showing some life after Garappolo left the game, but until the fourth quarter this was a beat down by a woken-up Seahawks team. Tremendous game by Bobby Wagner, who seemed to take the week’s criticism seriously. DK Metcalf was terrific, as was Russell Wilson. The defense forced turnovers, special teams were outstanding and Seattle produced 37 points.

As you head to the second half of the season, you hopefully get healthier and continue the drive towards a No. 1 seed. Considering the Seahawks were down to their fourth running back and were using a converted tight end for some plays on defense, the performance taken in context was outstanding.

Tom Wassell – Tom, Jake and Stacy

For the record, my BOLD TAKE (™) in Friday’s show was that the Seahawks’ defense would have the best statistical performance of the year in terms of yards allowed. HUZZAH!

They just looked more aggressive. Sure, Garoppolo and Nick Mullens aren’t going to light you up (although Mullens came close) and the SF offense is depleted to a predictable running game, but they’re still effective at times and Seattle had to work pretty darn hard to keep them in check.

Bobby Wagner was just tremendous today. Looking like his 2014 self, he sent a message to his teammates that he would not be embarrassed by another offense this week. He was everywhere – tackling, sacking, stopping the run in critical situations. Just so impressive. That sack of Garoppolo on SF’s second-to-last possession of the first half followed by Michael Dickson’s punt that backed them up inside the 5-yard line, then stopping the 49ers on their opening drive in the third quarter was so important. That could have swung the game in SF’s favor even if it only came out with a field goal, and Seattle ensured that the  49ers came out with nothing. That’s just great defensive football.

I said on Twitter that I believe Dickson is the Seahawks player who’s best at his job. I don’t keep track of punter stats, but is there another one in the league that pins the other team inside the 5 with as much consistency as he does? Many of you agreed, and some mistook that for a shot at Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf or Bobby Wagner. Does anyone in their right mind not think that Russ is the best (or a top three) QB in the NFL? It’s indisputable. Russ made a handful of plays with his legs, not just for gained yardage, but also in buying time for his receivers to get open. The best example is the David Moore TD – scramble, scramble, THROW! Boom, TD.

Metcalf completely overwhelmed those who tried to cover him, as he will continue to all season long. I’m sure most of you weren’t thrilled with the way Seattle traded points for clock and allowed SF to come back so quickly. They scored 13 unanswered points in about 6:30 total minutes of ball possession. The missed two-point conversion made a pretty big difference. Credit Dunbar for getting the touch on Jerrick McKinnon before the ball crossed the goal line. And then of course, the offense puts together a game-icing drive. Nice job, everyone.

Overall grade: B+

Honorable mentions: K.J. Wright, Jordyn Brooks, Tre Flowers, Quandre Diggs, Alton Robinson, DeeJay Dallas (Russ forced him to be successful ultimately, lol), D.J. Reed, Cody Barton, Nick Bellore.

Bob Stelton – Bob, Dave and Moore

This was an impressive win! Considering how many key players were out for the Seahawks, this is a great win.

We saw the defense play lights out for three quarters, holding the 49ers to just seven points, but the fourth quarter resembled what we’ve been watching in the previous six games from this defense – especially after they knocked Jimmy Garoppolo out of the game. Nick Mullens came in and went 18 for 25 for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

Bobby Wagner had his best game of the season, without question with 11 tackles but more importantly two sacks and three tackles for a loss.

D.J. Reed was impactful going up against his former team with sixtackles and an interception.

You knew Russell Wilson would bounce back after a three-interception game last week. Four more TD passes today with no turnovers. He made some brilliant throws as usual. Last week it was Tyler Lockett with the huge day but today it was DK Metcalf – 12 catches on 15 targets for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He’s taking that huge step this year from really good player to superstar.

You also have to credit the coaching staff for devising a game plan that kept this offense rolling despite having to rely on a rookie RB in DeeJay Dallas.

This win is huge for a couple of different reasons. First, you beat your division rival. You were able to rest a handful of key players and allow them to get healthy for the rest of this brutal five-game stretch. And you were able to bounce back from an incredibly disappointing loss to Arizona. The 49ers are dealing with a ton of injuries as well, but they had won two in a row coming into this game and seemed to be adapting to their roster. Great to see the Seahawks step up and put an end to that!

Jim Moore – Bob, Dave and Moore

Although Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf were terrific, give a game ball to the maligned defense which limited San Francisco to 117 yards through three quarters, holding the 49ers to minus-4 yards in the third quarter alone.

The Seahawks led 30-7 at the time, and the 49ers rallied against softer coverage the rest of the way.

Bobby Wagner led the swarming defense with two sacks and two tackles for loss, making me wonder why anyone would write a post questioning if he’d lost a step. Whoever that was, what an idiot!

In the category of best wins out of the six for the Seahawks this year, put this one right at the top considering the circumstances. They played without their top two running backs (Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde), their starting left guard (Mike Iupati), their best pass rusher (Benson Mayowa), their best defensive player (Jamal Adams) and starting left corner (Shaquill Griffin).

And on both sides of the ball, I know the Seahawks would miss these guys long-term, but it didn’t look like they missed them Sunday, getting a decent day out of rookie running back DeeJay Dallas and a good day from their pass rush, which produced three sacks.

This win kept the Seahawks (6-1) atop the NFC West and also gave up them the best NFC record in the race for the No. 1 seed and only bye in the playoffs.

One more thing: I might have been way off-base with that Wagner post, but good luck finding anyone who came as close as I did on the final score of the game, 37-27. I had the Seahawks winning 34-23.

Paul Gallant – Danny and Gallant

Can you think of a play on Sunday where DK Metcalf DIDN’T wow you?

• Accelerating away from the entire 49ers defense for an untouched 46-yard TD.
• Catching his second touchdown in “and-one!” fashion while being held.
• Making a critical catch on third down to set up the Seahawks third TD while getting helmet to helmeted.
• At least two stiff arms that made 49ers defensive backs look like small children.
• And on a dropped pass, absorbing a kill shot from another ‘Niners back, and not budging an inch.

DK’s career high 12-catch, 161-yard, two-TD performance was that of a man who could be the league’s best receiver.

Things took some time to come together for the Seahawks’ offense Sunday. Being without their two leading rushers was certainly a factor. But once DK got them going at the end of the first quarter, they were once again a machine. Russell Wilson’s four touchdown passes gives him a league-high 26 on the year and keeps him on pace to challenge Peyton Manning’s record of 55 TD tosses in a season.

I’m not sure if the Seahawks’ day on defense was a sign of progress or an indictment on Jimmy Garoppolo. Whatever the case, they played well for the first three quarters. San Francisco managed just seven points over the first 50 minutes, an impressive feat considering they were without Jamal Adams, Shaquill Griffin, Ugo Amadi, and Benson Mayowa.

And it all started with Bobby Wagner, who shut critics like me up with a vintage Bobby performance. He had two sacks, three tackles for loss, and played with an intense, contagious, energy in this game. I’m guessing he got tired of all the criticism that the defense has taken over the last couple of weeks. And the rest of the defense fed off it, eventually chasing Garoppolo out of the game with big hits, multiple sacks (!).

D.J. Reed got his first career interception in his first action of the year, and Tre Flowers played his best game in over a year.

I only have one concern. Despite that 30-7 deficit, San Francisco was inches away on a two-point conversion attempt from making it a one score game with over four minutes to play. Yes, defenses give up a lot of yards in garbage time. Unfortunately, the Seahawks took (and take) that to another level, against Nick Mullens of all people. Their inability to close this game out left an unpleasant aftertaste.

Whatever the case, Seattle is 6-1 despite a rash of injuries that could have sunk a lesser team. Sunday was a B+ win.

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