Notes on Wilson, Gore and the Seahawks’ defense
Oct 19, 2012, 3:24 PM | Updated: 3:25 pm
By Brady Henderson
A few notes on the Seahawks’ 13-6 loss to the 49ers on Thursday.
Gore up the gut. San Francisco’s Frank Gore did all of his damage on inside rushes. He had 16 carries, all between the tackles. According to ESPN Stats & Information, his 131 yards on those between-the-tackles runs are fifth-most of any running back this season. In six previous games, Gore had averaged 14.5 carries, with 10.8 of them going between the tackles. The 49ers stuck with what was working Thursday night.
Poor tackling wasn’t the issue for the Seahawks. Of Gore’s 131 rushing yards, only 24 of them came after first contact, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Linebacker Leroy Hill said it was more about what the 49ers were doing as opposed to what the Seahawks weren’t doing: “They had a solid scheme for us, man. We weren’t ready for just a certain play or two that they was throwing at us …”
Wilson revisited. It was safe to assume Wilson wouldn’t complete as many deep throws against the 49ers as he did against the Patriots. He didn’t, but he would have had more success on such throws had it not been for some drops. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Wilson was 20 of 35 with five touchdowns and three interceptions on passes traveling more than 15 yards downfield entering Thursday, but he went just 2 of 8 with an interception against San Francisco. Tight end Evan Moore and receiver Golden Tate each dropped a pass on one of those attempts. Tate had a second drop, while running backs Robert Turbin and Marshawn Lynch dropped passes as well. Turbin might have scored had he caught his pass.
Defense still stingy. With the 13-6 loss, the Seahawks have gone 16 straight games without allowing more than 23 points, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Only the Eagles have a longer streak, going 17 straight games from 2000 to 2001.