Seahawks Rapid Reaction: 49ers Roast 'Hawks 31-13, Seize Control of NFC West
Though they managed to make the game interesting for a few moments in the second half, the Seattle Seahawks couldn't overcome a 21-point halftime deficit on the way to a demoralizing 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night.
Playing through a tricep injury, Geno Smith threw for 180 yards and completed 66 percent of his passes, but Seattle failed to score a touchdown on offense for the second time in four games. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown early in the second half, while Jamal Adams recorded a pair of tackles for loss and Darrell Taylor registered the team's only sack in defeat.
Here are five quick observations from a costly blowout loss at Lumen Field:
1. A painfully inept Seahawks offense was grounded from the opening snap.
Playing at less than 100 percent with a sore tricep, Smith gave a valiant effort playing through pain, but he looked out of sorts from the get go. On Seattle's first possession, he lucked out not getting picked off on two pass attempts into tight windows before Michael Dickson came on to punt after a three-and-out. Starting out two for his first six passing, his aggressiveness caught up with him when cornerback Ambry Thomas jumped in front of Tyler Lockett on an out route in the second quarter for an interception along the sideline. Even with a flurry of completions late in the half, he threw for just 55 yards and the run game failed to support him with 18 yards on five carries as the team picked up three first downs.
While Smith did find some rhythm in the second half, with the Seahawks down multiple scores, the 49ers were able to send their devastating pass rush after him and create persistent pressure, registering four of their six sacks after halftime. Those big losses set Seattle well behind the sticks far too often, contributing to another ugly three for 11 performance on third down and only one red zone trip, which resulted in a Jason Myers field goal midway through the third quarter. Overall, they produced just 220 yards, with a big chunk of that coming with them already down big on the scoreboard after doing nothing out of the gate.
2. Zach Charbonnet packs a punch in Seattle's short-lived second half rally.
While his overall stat line isn't anything more than pedestrian with 47 rushing yards on 14 carries, Charbonnet gave the Seahawks a lift early in the third quarter when they appeared to have some life after Brooks returned an interception for a touchdown. Running behind his pads and continuing to exhibit surprising agility and wiggle in space, the rookie out of UCLA rushed for a trio of first downs in the quarter, including making star defensive end Nick Bosa miss on an off tackle run on 2nd and 3 and turn a potential tackle for loss into a five-yard gain and a new set of downs.
Even with the game already in doubt after Seattle couldn't find a way to cut further into the 21-point halftime deficit, Charbonnet would later add a 10-yard run on a stretch play for another first down early in the fourth quarter. Picking up four first downs on the ground and adding four receptions in the passing game, he proved himself to be the only consistent source of offense for his team in his first career start.
3. Explosives torched Seahawks early, leading to insurmountable halftime deficit.
While it may be Thanksgiving, the 49ers came out playing as if these two teams were meeting on the 4th of July instead. Right off the bat, Christian McCaffrey beat Jordyn Brooks over the middle for a 14-yard reception and added a 27-yard run later in the drive, setting up a Deebo Samuel touchdown where he could have walked backwards in from two yards out. With the offensive line setting the tone up front and receivers running open all over the field, San Francisco piled up 225 yards of offense primarily due to chunk plays, ripping off a combined seven passes of 20 or more yards and runs of 12 or more yards in the half to race out to a massive lead and silence the crowd.
Even after the game started to get interesting in the third quarter, Purdy and McCaffrey went right back to work. Following a Dickson punt, McCaffrey scampered loose for an 12-yard run to move the 49ers past midfield and moments later, after rolling out to his left, Purdy threw back across the field and lofted a dime to Brandon Aiyuk for a 28-yard touchdown to all but seal the deal by pushing the lead back to 18 points with under eight minutes left to play. By the final whistle, they had tallied 12 explosive plays on the night, leading to 377 yards of total offense for a decisive victory.
4. Defense did everything it could to try and cook up a Thanksgiving comeback.
To the credit of coordinator Clint Hurtt's unit, the Seahawks regrouped at halftime and quickly turned a laugher into a suddenly compelling game. After the offense's first possession sputtered around midfield to open the third quarter, Dickson pinned the 49ers deep in their own territory and on a third down pass, Purdy tried to connect with McCaffrey over the middle, but the throw sailed on him and deflected off the back's fingertips. In the right spot at the right time, Brooks caught the carom for his first career interception and returned it 12 yards for a score, trimming the deficit to 12 points less than four minutes into the second half.
On the next two series, Seattle's defense continued to make the stops necessary for the team to climb back into the game and fire up the crowd, forcing a pair of punts while allowing just 37 net yards. Unfortunately, the offense failed to capitalize on those stops, as a missed potential defensive pass interference call against Jaxon Smith-Njigba went unflagged in the end zone and Smith was sacked on the next play, leading to a Myers field goal instead of a touchdown that would have made it a one-score game with a quarter and change to play. After the other forced punt, the Seahawks returned the favor with a five play drive that netted seven yards, serving as a microcosm of the game as a whole.
5. Special teams mishaps right before halftime came back to bite Seattle down the stretch.
In what has become too common of an occurrence over the course of the season, the Seahawks were let down by their special teams unit late in the first half. With the 49ers up 21-3 at the two-minute warning in the second quarter, the defense had come through with a stop deep in opposing territory, setting the stage for Smith to get the ball back with all three timeouts to try and orchestrate a scoring drive before half. But returner DeeJay Dallas muffed Mitch Wishnowsky's punt and as he tried to recover the ball, he couldn't maintain possession, allowing the 49ers to recover at the opposing 22-yard line. Three plays later, a field goal by Jake Moody extended the lead to 21 points with 43 seconds on the clock.
Putting together one of their few successful possessions on offense all night long, Smith swiftly led the Seahawks on a five-play, 41-yard drive to position Myers for a field goal to take back a bit of momentum before the break. But for a second straight week, the typically reliable kicker missed from outside of 50 yards as a 53-yard attempt sailed wide right, adding to the team's misery heading into the locker room. If Dallas could have cleanly caught the punt and Seattle went downfield to get a field goal from Myers, the six-point swing could have been a major game changer in the second half, as Brooks' pick would have made it a one-score game. Instead, they were chasing those points in the second half, making a comeback too difficult to pull off.
