Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 43-16 win over 49ers

The Seahawks took care of the San Francisco 49ers in a decisive 43-16 win on Sunday, improving to 7-5 and further helping out their playoff chances. As we do after each Seahawks game, we have polled the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle for their instant reactions to the victory, which you can read below.

O’Neil: Seahawks handle 49ers | Recap | Photos | Stats

Be sure to tune in Monday on 710 ESPN Seattle for more Seahawks coverage, as this is just the tip of what they’ll be saying about Sunday’s win on the air.

Mike Salk (Brock and Salk)

Sometimes, the anticipation is more than the actual event can reasonably deliver. And the return of Richard Sherman would go into that category.

Sherman’s 49ers are bad. They are so bad that they didn’t even get a full aggressive gameplan from the Seahawks. And I’d feel bad and say that it isn’t Sherman’s fault that his team is awful, but this is the same player who told us so many times how the Seahawks brass had lost its way and he was so much smarter and better-equipped to run a team. Then he chose the Niners in free agency. Well, he chose… poorly.

Not only was he wrong about the Niners, he seems to be off the mark when it comes to his former team, as well, because this Seahawks team looks more and more like a playoff entrant. They look good and their NFC wild-card competition does not.  Hopefully, Sherman can sing “Kumbaya” to himself as the Seahawks play in January.

Hawks win.

Vikings lose.

Panthers lose.

Bears lose.

Packers lose.

Pretty good day.

— Mike Salk, 710 ESPN (@TheMikeSalk) December 3, 2018

Bob Stelton (Bob, Groz and Tom)

Was this a great performance by the Seahawks or are the 49ers just that bad? That is the question I posted on Twitter. The most popular response was both.

Well that was fast! Is this a great performance by the Hawks or, do the 49ers just stink out loud? #Seahawks

— Bob Stelton (@BobStelton) December 2, 2018

The Seahawks did what a good team does to a team as limited as San Francisco. They forced three turnovers, were 3 for 4 in the red zone and were incredibly efficient in the passing game. Russell Wilson passed 11 for 17 for 185 yards and four TDs.

Really the only downsides were the penalties (10 for 100 yards, though there were some questionable calls) and the defense bending but not breaking once again. They gave up some big plays on the day aided by some really poor tackling. Ultimately allowing just 16 points and getting a 98-yard interception return for a TD by Bobby Wagner, however, will go a long way towards alleviating defensive concerns in the immediate aftermath of this one.

Bottom line is that the Hawks did exactly what they were supposed to do at home – beat an inferior team.

Jessamyn McIntyre (Danny, Dave and Moore)

The Seahawks did exactly what they needed to in order to keep things rolling toward the postseason. On the offensive side of the ball, Russell’s efficiency was outstanding. He threw a touchdown on four of his 11 completions (on just 17 attempts). That meant the run game was rolling as well, with 168 total yards on the ground, and the Rashaad Penny-Chris Carson double-headed monster was in full effect. The two combined for 134 yards and a touchdown with an even distribution between them.

Defense missed a lot of tackles but were certainly ‘bend but don’t break.’ Red zone turnovers after letting up big plays showed the strength of their focus, with veterans like Bobby Wagner putting the exclamation on things with a late game pick-six.

Oh, and special teams? Let’s not forget the recovered fumble on the punt return, not to mention Tyler Lockett’s 84-yard kickoff return to start the third quarter that lead to a Penny touchdown run just 16 seconds into the second half.

All. Three. Phases. The Seahawks once again prove the fourth quarter is their best quarter as we’re into the final few games of the regular season. If today is any indication, I’d expect them to continue to show up big.

Tom Wassell (Bob, Groz and Tom)

Bad news: Injuries to Chris Carson and D.J. Fluker. We’ll see how severe they are.

Good News: Everything else.

The NFL was very kind to the Seahawks today. There were losses by just about everyone you’d want to lose. At this point, it’s up to the Hawks to play themselves out.

As for the game itself, it’s nice to have one every once in a while where there was very little doubt about the outcome (the quiet CenturyLink crowd agrees with me). Jarran Reed, Jaron Brown, Tyler Lockett, Russel Wilson, Bobby Wagner and others all had what looked like a nice day of practice out there. Richard Sherman may still have some skills left, but playing for the 49ers has rendered him irrelevant.