The Seattle Seahawks got their biggest win of the season Monday night, handing the San Francisco 49ers their first defeat on a field goal as the clock expired in overtime. With the 27-24 victory, the Seahawks moved to 8-2 on the year and shaved the 49ers’ lead in the NFC West to a half-game. There was plenty to discuss after the matchup — good, bad and ugly abounded all night.
THE GOOD
Jadeveon Clowney: Clowney posted his best game as a Seahawk, welcoming 49ers tackles Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey back from injuries by absolutely dominating them at the line of scrimmage and constantly getting into quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s face.
In all, Clowney posted a defensive stat line of five tackles, five QB hits, one sack and one forced fumble; he also scored Seattle’s first points by recovering another Garoppolo fumble and running it 10 yards into the end zone late in the second quarter. The Seahawks have had pass-rush issues recently, but if Clowney can regularly post this kind of performance, the unit should become much less of a liability.
The rest of the defense: New acquisition Quandre Diggs showed up in a big way at the safety position. His interception of Garoppolo in the third quarter led to the second Seahawks touchdown of the night. Linebacker Bobby Wagner was his usual self, totaling 11 tackles and one defended pass. Defensive tackle Al Woods added two tackles for loss (including one sack) and cornerback Shaquill Griffin continued his standout season with two defended passes and six total tackles.
On the night, the Seahawks sacked Garoppolo five times, in addition to completely shutting down the 49ers’ run game and forcing Garoppolo to throw a number of near-picks. It was a massive turnaround for the much-maligned defensive squad, which they hope to carry into their matchup against the Eagles in two weeks’ time.
THE GOOD (part 2)
Jacob Hollister: After a breakout performance last week against the Buccaneers, Hollister continued to make his case as one of the season’s biggest surprises with 62 yards and a touchdown at Levi’s Stadium.
The Seahawks were looking thin at the tight end position after Luke Willson injured his hamstring during the game, not to mention the injured-reserve status of Ed Dickson and Will Dissly. Hollister proved that fans have nothing to worry about, and may become a serious candidate for Seattle’s breakout player of the year.
Jason Myers: Just a week after missing a potential game-winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter, Myers rewarded Pete Carroll’s faith in him by drilling the 42-yard game-winner at the end of overtime and sparking a jubilant celebration that ended with Myers being carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates. Myers also nailed a 46-yard tiebreaker in the fourth quarter and was 3 for 3 on extra points.
THE BAD
The offense: In a reversal of what fans have come to expect from the Seahawks, the offense played second fiddle to the defense in Week 10. Until this week, Seattle’s offense has consistently ranked near the top of the league; however, the 49ers defense played just as well as advertised, even without middle linebacker Kwon Alexander plus a number of in-game injuries.
Russell Wilson put up decent-but-not-great numbers in the passing game (24 of 34, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and added a solid 53 rushing yards, but was also sacked a total of five times and fumbled once.
Additionally, the Seahawks’ only touchdown drives resulted from turnovers created by the defense.
If San Francisco’s defense is back to full strength for their Week 17 rematch in Seattle, the Seahawks will need to make some major adjustments to put up their usual numbers.
THE UGLY
The officiating: Both teams were victims to another rough day of calls and non-calls alike from the officials, as well as a couple of questionable ball spots and even the overtime coin toss. (Did Geno Smith say “heads” or “tails”?)
In the third quarter, Chris Carson slowly leaned far forward before the snap and subsequent handoff for a touchdown but was not penalized.
Russell Wilson was pummeled by the 49ers defense multiple times with no flag from the officials, while linebacker Mychal Kendricks drew an iffy penalty marker for a horse-collar tackle. On the 49ers’ side, the officials seemed confused as to where to spot the ball on third down of their last overtime drive, leading to a review that ended up placing the ball a whole yard back from the line and setting up a missed field goal.
Although the officiating did not cost either team the game, calls for the NFL to overhaul its referee training program should only increase after last night’s performance.
Who greased the ball? The Seahawks lost the turnover battle with three lost fumbles and one interception to the Niners’ two lost fumbles and one pick. Five Seattle players fumbled the football, including two on the same play – as 49ers cornerback K’Waun Williams wrapped Wilson up, the ball popped from his hands into the arms of left tackle Germain Ifedi, who inexplicably chose to try and run it himself. The ball was then punched out by linebacker Fred Warner, and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner took the opportunity to run it into the end zone for a score.
“What was he thinking?” Pete Carroll said of Ifedi’s decision after the game. “That was terrible.”
DK Metcalf lost a fumble inside the 49ers’ 5-yard line, while Rashaad Penny ended the Seahawks’ first second-half drive with his own fumble. Carson also lost control of the ball in the third quarter, but center Joey Hunt was quick to fall on it.
Meanwhile, the 49ers had their own offensive issues – receivers Deebo Samuel, Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis and Kendrick Bourne all had terrible drops on passes that hit them right in the hands.
