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Seahawks Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on OT victory over 49ers

Nov 11, 2019, 10:13 PM | Updated: Nov 12, 2019, 12:28 am

Seahawks TE Jacob Hollister...

Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister caught a TD pass from Russell Wilson in the third quarter. (AP)

(AP)

The Seahawks bested the 49ers 27-24 in the game of the season, handing San Francisco its first loss of the campaign.

Seahawks 27, 49ers 24: Defense makes statement | 3 stars | Recap

As we do after Seahawks game, we have collected the initial reactions of the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle. Needless to say they have a lot to get off their chests about this one, and this is only the tip of the iceberg of what they’ll be discussing Tuesday on the air.

Bob Stelton – Bob, Dave and Moore

Unbelievable! Wow! Unreal!

I’m searching for more words to describe this game but nothing seems to fit. The intensity of this game was absolutely amazing. This was a playoff game. I don’t care what the coaches, players, announcers, or anybody else try to say. “It’s just another game.” No, not by a long shot.

Let’s start with the defense. They played their best game of the season, by far. They had consistent pressure on 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. They sacked him five times, forced him into three turnovers (one interception, two fumbles lost) and harassed him all night. The star of the defense was Jadeveon Clowney. In fact, he was the best defensive player on the field all night for either team. His stat line doesn’t properly represent what a menace he was: A sack, a fumble return for a TD and five tackles. The 49ers’ O-line had no answer for him. Nothing they did seemed to work.

Russell Wilson had a rare mistake with a bad throw for an interception in OT when it looked like the Hawks were about to put this one away, but the 49ers missed their game-winning FG attempt. And after trading three-and-outs, Wilson drove the Seahawks down the field for Jason Myers’ game-winning FG. Wilson’s ability to shake off mistakes and bounce back when the team needs him to be a leader is unmatched.

There were so many moments in this game that were absolutely huge. Too many to chronicle here. But let’s give credit where it’s due:

• The Hawks’ defensive line – they were spectacular.
• Shaquill Griffin was outstanding.
• Bradley McDougald played his best game of the year.
• Josh Gordon was targeted twice and caught both balls in crucial situations.
• Myers redeemed himself with a 46-yard FG to give them the lead late in regulation, and of course the game-winner in OT.

Again, there were a lot of big moments in this game to talk about. I can’t wait to cover it all Tuesday at 3!

Jim Moore – Bob, Dave and Moore

Sensational game. So many momentum changes, and right when you thought the Seahawks were going to win the 49ers would make a play, and then it would turn in the Seahawks’ favor again. And then it looked like it was going to end in a tie or a 49ers’ win until Jimmy Garoppolo threw three straight incompletions, giving the Seahawks another chance with less than two minutes to go. Shaquill Griffin made a terrific play on a long pass down the right sideline, breaking up a pass intended for Deebo Samuel on third down.

The defense, maligned for most of the season (for good reason), showed up Monday night. Jadeveon Clowney was in the 49ers’ backfield all night long, raising havoc and giving the Seahawks the kind of pass rush we haven’t seen since the first game of the season against Cincinnati.

I would have no idea who to give the game ball to – take your choice among Clowney; Russell Wilson; Malik Turner, who had his only two catches in overtime, replacing an injured Tyler Lockett; Jason Myers, for coming through with two huge kicks after missing two field goals and an extra point in last week’s game against Tampa Bay; or pick another player on the Seahawks’ defense. Heck, pick them all for playing better as a group than they have all season.

Even though the Seahawks at 8-2 are still a half-game behind the 8-1 49ers, they’re in a better position to win the NFC West. San Francisco still has a rugged stretch of three games against Green Bay in Santa Clara followed by road games against Baltimore and New Orleans. The Seahawks’ schedule is difficult too but not as hard as San Francisco’s, and if it comes down to one game to decide the division champion, the Seahawks will host the 49ers on the last day of the regular season.

However it turns out later on, what we watched Monday night was one of the best games in Seahawks’ history, featuring Wilson’s 28th comeback win in the fourth quarter or overtime and a coach who is now 28-5-1 in primetime games.

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

It’s after games like this I wish I were a better writer as I try to give this game its just due.

For two teams who combine for a 15-2 record, there didn’t seem to be a lot of respect. The Seahawks had a soft defense and were lucky to be where they were at 7-2. The 49ers at 8-0 had benefited from an easy schedule. Well, San Francisco and Seattle fastened their chin straps and put on a classic heavyweight display on Monday night in what was the game of they year so far in the NFL.

The overtime thriller should go a long way to renewing the rivalry, and do we really have to wait till Dec. 29 to watch these two go at it again? It was like a classic heavyweight fight with early knockdowns, crazy momentum changes, superlative individual efforts abounded.

So many things stand out, it’s hard to mention all of them, but I do think both teams proved they are very much for real. Jimmy Garoppolo was lucky as I thought he looked like the inexperienced QB that he is, but he shrugged off some potential interceptions and gave his team a chance to win. And after Russell Wilson threw just his second interception of the season, he took advantage of another opportunity to lead the Seahawks to victory.

The much-maligned Seahawks defense was big time and Jadeveon Clowney had the best game I have ever seen a Seahawks defensive lineman have.

What a night. NFL football is the most popular sport by a mile because of games like this. I can’t wait till Week 17, then one more time in the postseason – just like Ali-Frazier.

Jessamyn McIntyre – Danny and Gallant

Admit it or not, this is the game you asked for. The hard-hitting, smash-mouth football in front of a national audience was exactly what we hoped for – as long as you’re OK with aging 80 years over the course of four hours.

Let’s get to the good stuff, beginning with the defense. The Seahawks dialed up five sacks against Jimmy Garoppolo, bringing more pressure than they have all year. Quandre Diggs had his first interception as a Seahawk. And Shaquill Griffin had some of the best defensive plays – clean ones, I might add – of his career.

Not to mention, Jadeveon Clowney came to San Francisco to EAT tonight. He’s been a member of the Seahawks for half a season, but with the way he played you’d think he was a part of the rivalry since birth. The pressure he put on Garoppolo won’t immediately be reflected on the stat sheet but he was in the backfield all night long and largely responsible for hurrying the QB as well as Al Woods’ sack.

On the offensive side of the ball, Chris Carson’s 89 rushing yards forced the Niners’ tenacious defense to respect the run, giving Russell the chance to… get creative. Russell spread the ball around, hitting regular targets in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. But emerging as the catch-leader? None other than Jacob Hollister, the hero of last week’s overtime win against the Buccaneers. Hollister’s eight catches, in addition to a pair each from Josh Gordon and Malik Turner, proved there’s more depth in the receivers room than talking heads around the country might give them credit for.

Last week, Pete Carroll stood firmly behind Jason Myers after he missed a potential game-winning field goal against Tampa Bay. The confidence he put in his kicker paid off in dividends tonight. Kicking is such a mental game and Pete played it perfectly. Myers made not only the game-winner but the kick before that was nullified by a 49ers timeout right before the snap. He handled the pressure like a pro and I believe Pete will continue to put faith in him.

Now, what to worry about? The Seahawks fumbled five times, three of which were turnovers. Not ideal. Tyler Lockett didn’t come in during overtime with a reported ‘lower left leg injury.’ Even less ideal. Luke Willson left the game with a hamstring injury, which leaves the Seahawks with a single tight end on the roster until Ed Dickson returns (which presumably will be after the upcoming bye week).

The good news is a lot of the issues the Seahawks had tonight are fixable. And if momentum is real – and it is – then they certainly have it on their side right now.

Tom Wassell – Tom, Jake and Stacy

Like most of you, I’m totally worn out. Right now this feels like the best football game I’ve ever seen. Too many twists and turns to recount here, but hopefully we can get to all of them Tuesday on the air. I can’t tell you how happy I am that none of the interceptions that the Seahawks didn’t make at the end of regulation came back to haunt them. It would have been a tough two weeks of dissecting all the things that went wrong had they lost.

Early on it felt like SF was going to dominate, but like I said for the last six days, this game would come down to timely plays by the defense (interceptions, fumbles). That definitely happened. I’m gonna point to Shaq Griffin’s pass deflection in OT as the single biggest one. Garoppolo threw a bomb on third down that would have put the Niners in great position to win the game, but Shaq batted it away, the Seahawks got the ball back and ended the game with one final drive. Oh, and we actually saw a pass rush! Jadaveon Clowney played like a madman out there. He was in Jimmy G’s face all night long and that was a huge factor in how the SF offense faltered at times.

A couple of names that deserve mention in this game: Jacob Hollister, Jason Myers, Quandre Diggs, Josh Gordon (!!), Malik Turner, Chris Carson, Duane Brown. I could go on and on because it really was a true team win, but those guys are the ones sticking out to me at the moment.

The officials ought to be ashamed of themselves. Apparently if you sack a QB and gently move aside as you hit the ground, that is roughing the passer, but if you grab Russell Wilson by the jersey and slam him into the ground, that’s not a problem. On the DeForest Buckner TD, how did they miss what should have been an obvious facemask call? Also, how in the world could they blow that play dead in OT when Russell escaped like four sacks? He was moving the entire time. It resulted in third-and-16! Luckily he completed a pass to Turner on the next play, but who knows how far that would have taken them had they not been denied the yardage on the previous play? Sheesh!

Wilson took a few bad sacks and had that one crazy play where the ball ended up in Ifedi’s hands before Buckner got his hands on it and ran it into the end zone. He threw the terrible pick in OT which could have easily led to a 49ers win had Garoppolo elevated his game. Luckily with everything that happened, Russell still made a ton of amazing plays with his arm, his decision-making and his legs. It amazes me to think that there are still going to be games where he outperforms what he did tonight. He is the best QB in the league right now, plain and simple.

One last thing: I hated the punt call with under two minutes to go in OT. It felt like the Seahawks were playing for the tie at that point. The defense has not been Seattle’s strong suit this year, but Pete had faith, got the ball back and went home with the win. That decision saved the game. I was wrong, Pete was right. We’re all happy.

Paul Gallant – Danny and Gallant

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