Seahawks snap counts vs. 49ers: Seattle dominates possession

Several numbers illustrate how dominant Seattle's defense was in its 20-3 win over San Francisco on Thursday night, none more indicative than the 46 offensive snaps the 49ers were limited to.

BY BRADY HENDERSON

Oct 23, 2015, 4:48 PM Updated: 4:55 pm

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The 49ers managed just 46 offensive snaps as the Seahawks kept them to just eight first downs. (AP)

(AP)

You could point to several numbers from Thursday night’s game that illustrated either how dominant Seattle’s defense was, how awful San Francisco’s offense played or some combination of the two.

Here’s one of them: 46.

That’s how many plays the 49ers ran during their 20-3 loss to the Seahawks, a season-low for any Seattle opponent. In the four previous Seahawks games that ended in regulation – so excluding the overtime losses to St. Louis and Cincinnati – Seattle’s opponents averaged 62.5 plays.

That was an impossible total for the 49ers to approach with the way Seattle’s defense was keeping them from extending drives. San Francisco went 1 for 11 on third down and gained all of eight first downs.

Here’s a look at how the playing time was dispersed among those 46 plays as well as the 72 that Seattle’s offense ran.

DEFENSE (46 total)

Defensive linemen

Cliff Avril: 39 (85%)
Michael Bennett: 36 (78%)
Brandon Mebane: 28 (61%)
Frank Clark: 21 (46%)
Ahtyba Rubin: 15 (33%)
David King: 13 (28%)
Cassius Marsh: 10 (22%)

With Jordan Hill and Demarcus Dobbs sidelined, Clark played a higher percentage of defensive snaps than he has all season. That he played more than Rubin – Seattle’s starting defensive tackle – could be a product of how the 49ers constantly found themselves in passing situations, which call for rushers like Clark as opposed to run-stuffers like Rubin.

Linebackers

K.J. Wright: 46 (100%)
Bobby Wagner: 46 (100%)
Bruce Irvin: 46 (100%)

This was the first time this season that Irvin didn’t come off the field; some of his playing time came as an edge rusher in passing situations.

Defensive backs

Earl Thomas: 46 (100%)
Kam Chancellor: 46 (100%)
Richard Sherman: 46 (100%)
Cary Williams: 45 (98%)
DeShawn Shead: 19 (41%)

Shead again handled the nickelback duties but also played right cornerback for a play that Williams missed. That makes four positions that Shead has now played in Seattle’s secondary this year, including the preseason when he started a game at left cornerback. Shead started in Week 1 at strong safety and has been the Seahawks’ nickelback since Marcus Burley went down in Week 2.

OFFENSE (72 total)

Running backs

Marshawn Lynch: 40 (56%)
Will Tukuafu: 26 (36%)
Fred Jackson: 18 (25%)
Thomas Rawls: 11 (15%)

Tukuafu started at fullback with Derrick Coleman sidelined with a concussion, and he also played some tight end when Seattle was at the goal line on its opening possession. Rawls only played two snaps last week, but his playing time Thursday night was more indicative of how much the Seahawks plan to use him now that Lynch has returned from injury and resumed his role as the lead back.

Receivers

Doug Baldwin: 49 (68%)
Jermaine Kearse: 45 (62%)
Tyler Lockett: 40 (56%)
Ricardo Lockette: 21 (29%)
Chris Matthews: 16 (22%)
B.J. Daniels: 5 (7%)

The playing time in Seattle’s receiver corps has been fairly consistent this season. Daniels has been inactive for some of the games, but the pecking order has remained the same. It will change some once Paul Richardson returns.

Tight ends

Jimmy Graham: 50 (69%)
Luke Willson: 34 (47%)
Cooper Helfet: 3 (4%)

This was the lowest percentage of offensive snaps that Graham has played this season, though the dropoff wasn’t that significant. He played between 73 percent and 92 percent of the time in Seattle’s previous five games.

Offensive linemen

Drew Nowak: 72 (100%)
J.R. Sweezy: 72 (100%)
Justin Britt: 72 (100%)
Russell Okung: 69 (96%)
Garry Gilliam: 53 (74%)
Alvin Bailey: 24 (33%)

Bailey spelled Gilliam at right tackle for a few series, which coach Pete Carroll said was by design as Gilliam was nursing a sore ankle.

Note: Quarterback Russell Wilson played all 72 offensive snaps.