Observations from Seahawks’ dramatic 20-17 win over 49ers

Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks have finally conquered their Bay Area nemesis.

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Smith capped a game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive by scrambling for a 13-yard score with 12 seconds left, leading the Seahawks to a dramatic 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon in Santa Clara.

It snapped Seattle’s six-game losing streak to San Francisco and potentially saved the Seahawks’ season, improving them to 5-5 and keeping them in the thick of the wide-open NFC West race.

Here are five things that stood out from Seattle’s thrilling victory.

• Geno delivers more late-game magic: Smith added another comeback win to his resume Sunday, methodically guiding the Seahawks down the field before scrambling for a game-winning 13-yard touchdown in the closing seconds to cap a masterful 11-play, 80-yard drive. It was Smith’s seventh game-winning drive and sixth fourth-quarter comeback since the start of the 2023 season, both the most in the NFL over that span. Smith completed 7 of 8 passes for 54 yards on the drive, including a pair of third-down completions to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that moved the chains. Smith then finished the job with his legs, scrambling for a 16-yard gain to negate a first-down sack before finding paydirt two plays later on his game-winning TD run. Smith threw a costly interception early in the second half, but immediately shook it off by leading two TD drives in Seattle’s final three possessions.

GENO!!!! TD @SEAHAWKS!!

📺: #SEAvsSF on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/ATSZeKJaOe

— NFL (@NFL) November 18, 2024

• Run defense shines: After all the struggles on run defense over the first half of the season, the Seahawks have compiled back-to-back strong showings against the run. Two weeks ago, Seattle held Rams running backs to just 68 rushing yards and 3.0 yards per carry. And on Sunday, the Seahawks limited 49ers running backs to 92 yards on 21 carries for a 4.4-yard average – including just 79 yards on 19 carries for reigning NFL rushing leader Christian McCaffrey. The past two games are a dramatic turnaround from Seattle’s first eight games of the season, when it ranked 29th in rushing yards allowed per game (148.4) and 28th in yards allowed per carry (4.9). And it’s a particularly dramatic turnaround from the Seahawks’ first matchup against the 49ers on Oct. 10, when San Francisco ran roughshod for 228 rushing yards despite being down to its third-string running back. It’s no coincidence that the Seahawks’ improved run defense has coincided with their two best defensive performances of the season. Seattle held the Rams to just 13 offensive points in regulation and then limited San Francisco’s talent-laden offense to just 17 points, which matches the 49ers’ lowest total of the year.

‘We could be something special’: Seahawks’ defense finding identity

• Another big day for JSN: Second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba entered this month having topped 70 yards receiving only once in his first 25 career games. Now, he’s coming off back-to-back 100-yard games. After hauling in seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams two weeks ago, Smith-Njigba followed with 10 catches for 110 yards against the 49ers on Sunday. The 2023 first-round pick came up big on the game-winning touchdown drive, totaling four catches for 38 yards – including a pair of key third-down conversions. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Smith-Njigba also ran for an 8-yard gain on an end-around. For the season, Smith-Njigba now ranks 13th in the NFL with 678 receiving yards. He has three 100-yard games this year, beginning with his 12-catch, 117-yard performance in a Week 2 overtime win over New England.

• Witherspoon makes his presence felt: After his spectacular rookie campaign last season, it’s been a mostly quiet Year 2 for standout cornerback Devon Witherspoon. The former No. 5 overall pick entered the day with just three pass breakups and a forced fumble through nine games – a far cry from last season when he was all over the stat sheet with with 16 pass breakups, an interception, three sacks and a forced fumble. But on Sunday, Witherspoon sure made his presence felt. While providing tight coverage on McCaffrey in the second quarter, Witherspoon deflected a pass high into the air, allowing defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins to snatch it for an interception. The takeaway proved pivotal, as it spotted Seattle great field position that resulted in a field goal. Witherspoon also had a nice play early in the fourth quarter, when he blitzed off the edge and hit Purdy’s hand as he released the ball to force an incompletion. Witherspoon finished with three pass breakups, matching his total from the previous nine games.

Hankins with the TIP DRILL. pic.twitter.com/OhutJjJeHF

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 17, 2024

• Short-yardage woes nearly cost Seahawks again: For the second consecutive game, the Seahawks found themselves in a pivotal late-game situation where they had two chances to gain a yard. Once again, they came up short. Trailing 17-13 with less than five minutes to play, Seattle had a third-and-1 on the San Francisco 37-yard line. Smith gained about a yard on a third-down QB sneak, but was still short of the first-down mark, setting up a fourth-and-inches. Seattle kept its offense on the field and went for it, but Zach Charbonnet was stuffed for no gain on a run up the middle, handing the ball back to the 49ers. That came after last week’s pivotal sequence in an overtime loss to the Rams, when Kenneth Walker III was stuffed for no gain on back-to-back runs on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 at the Los Angeles 16-yard line in the extra period. Fortunately for the Seahawks, this time their defense came up with a stop to give them another chance, setting the stage for Smith’s game-winning drive.

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