Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on 30-23 win over 49ers

The Seahawks got back in the win column on Sunday with a 30-23 win over the 49ers in a chaotic battle between the two NFC West rivals.

Fast Facts: Seahawks outlast 49ers for chaotic 30-23 win

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions from the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle. See what they have to say below, and tune in Monday for full Seahawks coverage starting with The Mike Salk Show at 6 a.m. and The Pete Carroll Show at 9:30.

Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob

Where has this team been all year? I guess we shouldn’t be surprised by a crazy game taking place between the Seahawks and 49ers. It’s just what they do.

So, are Russell Wilson and the offense back? Who knows, but this was certainly more familiar than what we’ve been watching this season – except that we saw Russell take what the defense was giving him rather than forcing the home run ball. Just 231 yards on 30 completions speaks to that (Wilson finished the day 30 for 37 for 231 yards, two touchdowns and one interception).

It was also a day where we saw creative play calling, risk taking, and up-tempo football, from the fake punt that resulted in a TD to going for it on fourth-and-1 at the San Francisco 4 and converting. That’s the upside to being 3-8 going into this game – there is no reason to hold anything back. Just go for it!

The defense came up with big plays. Quandre Diggs had another interception and Carlos Dunlap had a safety and batted down a pass to end the game. The Seahawks made huge stops and, more importantly, they got themselves off of the field. The Seahawks won the time of possession for the FIRST TIME this season!

The only real negative in this game, outside of a very ugly first quarter where neither team seemed to want the ball, was the play of the offensive line. Yes, Russell holds onto the ball too long at times, but there were many more times were he was under pressure immediately. I know they’re dealing with injuries, but just like the entire offense has for most of the season, they were struggling even when they were completely healthy. I don’t think they have better options on the roster currently which puts the fix on the shoulders of the coaching staff to call a game that limits their exposure.

That was a fun game. They should just go ahead and play like that in every game the rest of the season.

The Groz – Host emeritus, 710 ESPN Seattle

The NFL is the most popular sport by a mile these days and games like this are the reason. The Hawks and Niners played a wildly entertaining game that had twists and turns, heroes and goats, and the action – good and bad – was non-stop.

The key sequence in the second quarter had the Seahawks, after three straight three-and-out possessions, getting a drive going. Then they had to call a time out to avoid a delay penalty, then still took a penalty for delay of game out of the timeout, yet followed with a 33-yard hook up with DK Metcalf.

Throw it up to DK and let him do the rest 💪 #ProBowlVote @dkm14

📺 #SFvsSEA on CBS pic.twitter.com/CH9hCZF7ER

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 5, 2021

It seemed to be what the offense needed as Russell Wilson turned in his best performance since his injury.

Six total turnovers between the two teams, a fake punt TD, a safety, lots of penalties, but still a rollicking good time – unless you’re a Niner fan. By the way, it’s not that hard to see why San Francisco doesn’t have faith in QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Is it just me or can he only throw over the middle?

Anyhow, nice to get a win, and shame on NBC for flexing this game out of Sunday night. It was a fun one.

Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob

The defense gets it done. A fumble and two interceptions led the way in an absolutely huge performance when the Seahawks needed it most.

A 73-yard touchdown run off a fake punt on the first possession of the game was merely the opening act for a wild, chaotic afternoon. Fumbles, safeties, touchdowns that turned into interceptions… it was all very Seahawks-49ers. Perhaps lost in all the swings of momentum is the fact that this was the Seahawks’ most complete game since their last win against the 49ers (the win over the Jaguars doesn’t really count).

There glaring issues from Monday’s loss to Washington – not targeting DK Metcalf, three-and-out trouble, and the inability to get off the field on defense – were addressed early. The first offensive play went to Metcalf, he was targeted six times in the first half, and he made two catches on third down that kept the offense on the field. As a result, the defense wasn’t on the field all game and it was able to make key stops in the second half. The early emphasis on DK also opened windows for other wideouts as the game developed, and we saw a glimpse of what the Seahawks envisioned when they drafted Dee Eskridge with their first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

It’s not a coincidence that Russell Wilson’s best game since his return from injury led to one of the most complete offensive performances of the season. Wilson was under pressure all day but still was able to drop balls into receivers’ hands and display an accuracy that hadn’t been there consistently the previous three games. The touchdown drive to end the first half was a critical moment to swing momentum and turn a 10-point deficit into a manageable margin that the Seahawks were able to erase early in the third quarter.

Of course, it couldn’t be a normal game between these two teams, and Gerald Everett’s turnover-itis made it much closer than it should have been. All three of Seattle’s turnovers were due to Everett, and it directly cost the Seahawks at least 10 points, not to mention the touchdown the 49ers scored one play after his first fumble. However, the fact the Seahawks were able to overcome all of that is a testament to the type of game they played.

A win doesn’t erase the problems that persist, but when victories have been hard to come by, it feels good to get one any way possible.

Justin Barnes – The Mike Salk Show

Mayhem, chaos and panic.

So much for this game being flexed out of primetime, am I right?

The big story from today’s win, of course, was the Seahawks’ offense. Would they find a rhythm and figure it out today or continue their confusing slide into the bottom ranks of every offensive category? Leading into this game, the 49ers’ defense had held their last three opponents to an average of 21 minutes on offense, but all of that changed with the Seahawks stacking up 33 minutes and finally winning the time of possession battle by nearly seven minutes.

Russell Wilson’s smile returned with his accuracy, and the 145 rushing yards between Travis Homer, Adrian Peterson and Rashaad Penny (who survived an entire game!) resulted in five first downs to give the advantage to the Seahawks for the first time in several weeks. You can breathe now, Seahawks fans. Relax.

The only big negatives to speak of were three (!) turnovers and that very frustrating delay of game penalty, but it really felt like the communication issues we’ve been seeing had disappeared on both sides of the ball. San Francisco tight end George Kittle is a killer, but if you subtract his insane 186 yards of offense, the 49ers are left with just 118 total yards, and I’ll take that any day of the week.

Pete Carroll’s defense didn’t get a ton of pressure on Jimmy G, but Carlos Dunlap did deliver a safety and seal the win on fourth-and-goal with his pass deflection that I’m sure the head coach will be raving about tomorrow morning on The Mike Salk Show at 9:30 a.m.

Take another breath. It’s gonna be OK. Go Hawks.