Seahawks Instant Reaction: Seattle Sports on 21-13 loss to 49ers
Dec 15, 2022, 8:48 PM | Updated: 9:34 pm
Nick Bosa of the 49ers hits Seahawks QB Geno Smith on Dec. 15, 2022. (Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christopher Mast/Getty Images)
The dream of winning the NFC West this season is gone for the Seahawks. Now it’s a question of whether they can keep their slim postseason chances alive.
The 49ers handed Seattle a 21-13 loss at Lumen Field on Thursday night, with San Francisco (10-4) clinching the NFC West title in the process. The Seahawks fall to 7-7, a game behind the Giants and Commanders (both 7-5-1), who occupy the final two playoff spots from the NFC.
Rost: Seahawks needed the big play that never came in loss to 49ers
As we do after every Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions to the loss from the voices of Seattle Sports 710 AM. See what they have to say below, and tune into the station all day Friday for much more coverage, including The Pete Carroll Show with the Seahawks head coach at 9:30 a.m.
Stacy Rost – Bump and Stacy (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
That loss is what we in the biz call “less than ideal.”
Untimely sarcasm aside, it was another lackluster outing by the Seahawks, though this time against a significantly better team than Carolina.
Does it make you feel any better? Up to you, but it would be understandable if you felt a mix of frustration (from Seattle’s collapsing playoff hopes and avoidable mistakes) and understanding (from the fact that they tried to take on the No. 1 ranked defense with a pair of rookie tackles and a rookie running back coming off injury). Being a fan is a complicated relationship sometimes.
There was little good to take away, but the stat sheet is surprisingly not as lopsided as you might think after a loss like this. Heading into the fourth quarter, Seattle had more first downs (12) than San Francisco (10) and had roughly the same number of net yards. The difference was a failure to take advantage of opportunities from Seattle – whether it was a dropped pick or an OPI that negated a big gain – and successful opportunities taken by San Francisco (including a touchdown off a Travis Homer fumble). The difference in this one felt like that Christian McCaffrey score and George Kittle’s touchdown in broken coverage.
Does it help? No. But if you’re like me, you’re scanning draft profiles for April. Because this roster needs some help.
Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m.)
This was probably the least surprising outcome of the season. The 49ers, even with a third string QB (Brock Purdy) and without the injured Deebo Samuel, are just a better, deeper team.
If not for a terrible roughing the passer penalty being called on San Francisco’s Nick Bosa that negated a pick-6, this would have been much worse.
The problems that have plagued the Hawks for the last 4-5 games remained true in this one. They gave up 171 yards and a touchdown on the ground. They lost the turnover battle and the time of possession battle, as well. While it was great to see Kenneth Walker III back out on the field, and he did have a couple of nice runs, ultimately it amounted to 70 total rushing yards, with 18 of those yards coming on a Geno Smith scramble.
Bottom line is that the Seahawks have been much better than just about anybody expected, but they’re still struggling to find any answers on defense. And the offense at this point just isn’t potent enough, especially against a team as talented as the 49ers.
Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob
It was a valiant effort late, but sometimes a team is simply better than you, and that was the case tonight. The 49ers are a legitimate Super Bowl contender; the Seahawks are a young team that is building towards the future.
In a matchup like this, a fast start helps, and you need everything to go right. That didn’t happen for the Seahawks. They went 0 for 7 on third down in the first half, and on each of the first three drives of the game faced a third down of 10-plus yards (13, 12 and 18).
The “everything going right” part was undone late in the first half after a game-changing combination of plays that saw Quandre Diggs drop an easy interception, and with the Seahawks back in their own territory after a punt, Travis Homer’s fumble set the 49ers up inside the 10-yard line. The double-dip of that touchdown, plus the opening drive of the third quarter ending in a long George Kittle TD reception, all but sealed the win because of how dominant the 49ers’ defense was all night.
If you weren’t convinced yet, perhaps watching the 49ers’ defensive line exert its will on the Seahawks will solidify the absolution of the Seahawks drafting a defensive lineman with their soon-to-be top five pick. Nick Bosa (No. 2 overall pick in 2019) and company won the line of scrimmage all night, forced Geno Smith to make rushed throws, and made it an all-around painful outing for the Seahawks quarterback.
The coaching staff stressed the importance of finding a balanced offensive attack and committing to the run, but the early deficit and inability to find footing in the trenches made the run game obsolete despite a couple of nice carries by Ken Walker. After running backs had just 13 carries for 52 yards in this game, it has now been five straight games where the Seahawks have attempted less than 20 run plays.
A few extra days off will help, but the Seahawks will need to reestablish that offensive balance before taking on a Chiefs team on Dec. 24 that puts plenty of points on the scoreboard.
