Seahawks Rookie DE Alton Robinson Does 'Beautiful Job' in First NFL Start
RENTON, WA - A few hours before kickoff at CenturyLink Field on Sunday, defensive end Benson Mayowa tested out his injured ankle, which had cost him two practices earlier in the week and limited him on Friday.
While the veteran edge rusher had hoped to play despite the limited practice reps, after doing some on-field work, it was evident Mayowa wasn't going to be able to play. He was listed as inactive along with two other defensive starters in safety Jamal Adams and cornerback Shaquill Griffin, leaving Seattle short-handed at the LEO defensive end spot.
With Mayowa sidelined and limited depth available, the Seahawks thrust rookie Alton Robinson into the starting lineup for the first time. Facing a rugged 49ers squad with one of the NFL's best schemed rushing attacks, coach Pete Carroll didn't know what to expect from the fifth-round pick in extended action.
After all, Robinson didn't play in Seattle's first two games as a healthy scratch. And while he had generally seen increased playing time since that point in a reserve capacity, he only logged seven total defensive snaps in a Week 7 loss to Arizona and the coaching staff had limited opportunities to evaluate him.
Stepping up when the Seahawks needed him, however, Robinson answered the call on Sunday. Playing a career-high 49 snaps, or 70 percent of the team's defensive plays, he produced three tackles and his second career sack, helping limit the 49ers to 117 yards of total offense through the first three quarters.
"He did a beautiful job," Carroll said. "He played against the most accomplished edge blockers in [George] Kittle and [Kyle] Juszczyk that you're gonna see and he handled himself really well."
Heading into this weekend, the 49ers ranked fifth in rushing yards, first in rushing touchdowns, and eighth in yards per carry. Even with injuries in the backfield to Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., they had rattled off 120 or more rushing yards in five of their previous seven games and it didn't seem to matter who was receiving handoffs from Jimmy Garoppolo or Nick Mullens.
Given that success, Seattle made halting San Francisco's run game a top priority in Sunday's rivalry match. Specifically, Carroll hoped the Seahawks would be able to prevent Tevin Coleman and JaMycal Hasty from being able to get to the edge and do damage running off tackle with the help of Kittle and Juszczyk as lead blockers.
Thanks in part to Robinson setting anchor at the point of attack and maintaining outside contain, the Seahawks limited the 49ers to only 48 rushing yards in the first half. While Hasty did find the end zone for a one-yard touchdown, he was otherwise kept in check and the visitors were held to under three yards per carry.
"He was disruptive, he was tough, he did not have any physical issues he couldn't handle," Carroll assessed. "I loved the way he played, the aggressiveness that he played with, it wasn't perfect but it was disruptive and a big part of the success of the game plan."
Robinson also got into the act for a Seattle pass rush that was surprisingly effective against a strong San Francisco offensive line anchored by perennial Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams.
Though he was called for a questionable roughing the passer penalty early in the second quarter, Robinson was left unblocked off the edge and blew up Garoppolo, leading to an airmailed pass over the head of Juszczyk in the flats.
Then, shortly after the Seahawks extended their lead to 27-7 on a touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to David Moore midway through the third quarter, the 49ers faced 3rd and 2 from their own 33-yard line. Garoppolo dropped back to pass and faced immediate pressure from blitzing cornerback D.J. Reed off the edge as well as defensive tackle L.J. Collier, who overpowered the right guard to immediately penetrate the pocket.
Forcing Garoppolo to step up in the pocket as a result, Robinson disengaged from his blocker and was waiting for him, bringing the quarterback down for his second sack of the season, leading to the third punt in four drives for the 49ers.
All in all, while Robinson still has much room for growth, Carroll couldn't have been happier with how the former Syracuse standout handled his first start against a challenging, physical, well-coached opponent. Even when Mayowa returns and Carlos Dunlap joins the team this week, the rookie's strong showing should have cemented him a significant rotational role with nine games left to play.
"That was a real challenge going in," Carroll stated. "He was going against some really good guys with great scheme and approach and all that. I was interested to see what happened, but he made progress in this game. Very confident in the fact that he can play against anybody."
