Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 24-13 win over 49ers

As we do each week, we have polled the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle to get a sneak peak at what they’ll be saying about the Seahawks’ 24-13 win over the 49ers on the air Monday. Here are their instant reactions to the victory.

Bob Stelton of Bob, Groz and Tom

I’m not really sure what, if anything, we learned about the Seahawks in their win over a 1-10 49ers team. We already knew that Russell Wilson is probably the most elusive QB in the NFL, and he needs to be with an O-line that 11 games into the season is still suspect at best. This team still can’t run the ball with any consistency, but they do it just enough to force the opposing defense to honor it. Despite the absences of Cliff Avril, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Shaquill Griffin and Dion Jordan, this defense can still be stifling. One thing we are learning is that Paul Richardson is turning into a sure-handed threat for the deep ball or a third down conversion. He’s definitely become a more consistent target for Wilson. Jimmy Graham is turning into the red zone weapon that we all assumed he would be when he first came to Seattle. He has eight TDs in his last seven games, which is great considering he had eight total TDs in his first two seasons combined as a Seahawk. This was a road win over a division rival and we know that is never a given. But the true test of how good this team is will come next week when they face the best team in NFL as the Philadelphia Eagles come to CenturyLink Field.

Mike Salk of Brock and Salk

The Seahawks needed to go to San Francisco and win. They did that. It wasn’t pretty, but it was also never really in doubt. They are a superior team playing against an iffy NFL backup quarterback who simply could not move the ball. They deserve credit for doing what they had to do to win. There will be plenty that were annoyed by the slow start and frustrating offense, but I’ll be encouraged that this defense found a way to dominate even without three of its four starting members of the secondary. They are now led by a front seven and, even more specifically, two linebackers that have stepped up their game. Week 12 was more about the rest of the NFC, as Carolina, Atlanta and Los Angeles all won, forcing the Hawks to hold serve before their big test next Sunday.

Jim Moore of Danny, Dave and Moore

Not the most exciting or interesting game, but the Seahawks still disposed of the 49ers. That’s all that matters, setting up the bigger battle against the 10-1 Eagles next Sunday night at CenturyLink Field. Nice to see Russell Wilson rally from a poor first half to throw touchdown passes to Nick Vannett and Jimmy Graham in the second half. The Seahawks’ defense, playing without starters Shaquill Griffin, Kam Chancellor, Cliff Avril and Richard Sherman, snuffed out the feeble 49ers in a not-so-surprising development. But superior teams have lost games in these spots before, most recently when the 6-4 Chiefs lost to the 1-9 Giants last week in overtime. After sputtering in the first half, the Seahawks did a nice job of avoiding an upset, and it helped that the 49ers didn’t have much firepower on offense. The schedule gets much more difficult now with the Eagles followed by games against the Jaguars and Rams, but at 7-4, the Seahawks are very much in the thick of the wild-card race and still just one game behind the 8-3 Rams in the NFC West.

Dave Grosby of Bob, Groz and Tom

Before the game I tweeted this out:

Believe the Seahawks win an ugly one today. Doubt it will make anyone feel good except thosee who bekieve a win is a win, which it is

— Dave Grosby (@Thegroz) November 26, 2017

That’s pretty much how I feel afterwards – except for a continuing admiration for Russell Wilson, who shook off a lousy first half with an exceptional third quarter. Also a great day for the defense, and I like the fact that Seattle has contributed to the 49ers’ QB controversy. This was kind of a no-win game in terms of perception, so I will stick with the last comment on my tweet. It’s a double-digit win on the road virtually free of injuries. Even though it’s a 1-10 team, a win is a win, and this one was never in doubt. Go 2-1 in the next three games and I’m a believer this can still be a playoff team. The next three opponents are a combined 25-8, and two of the games are on the road. We will see if these Seahawks have what it takes without some key players.

Tom Wassell of Bob, Groz and Tom

The Seahawks needed a game like this. Granted, they beat a team with one win (that beat a team with two wins last week), but overall it was a really solid performance. Bobby Wagner had a terrific game with an interception to go along with eight tackles. Russell Wilson was his usual self, meaning that he accounted for all of the offense. I don’t even care about that at this point. There’s no point in complaining about their deficiencies in the running game or offensive line, although it’s tough to ignore. Combine those things with injuries that have gutted the defense and you have to be happy at 7-4. The Eagles come to town next week for a game that may or may not have head-to-head playoff implications, but it will be yet another test of how well the Seahawks can play against a quality opponent.

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