“This is it….”: Seahawks analyze their lopsided defeat to the 49ers
The Seattle Seahawks had their second humiliating loss in four weeks, this time against the San Francisco 49ers 31-13, making Thanksgiving one to forget.
On November 5, Seattle was defeated 37–3 in Baltimore; the next week, they defeated the Washington Commanders 29–26. After giving up a 17-16 victory over the Rams in Los Angeles last Sunday, the Seahawks have now lost two straight to an NFC West opponent, dropping them to 6-5 overall.
Thursday’s game started off horribly for the Seahawks, who had zero net offensive yards for most of the first half and trailed 24-3 at halftime. The offense didn’t score a single touchdown and the Seahawks’ lone trip to the end zone was on a pick-6 by linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the third quarter.
The Seahawks gained some momentum after Brooks’ interception made it 24-10, but their offense was still unable to generate any momentum against the 49ers’ defense.
Here are some comments from prominent Seahawks players and head coach Pete Carroll after the most recent defeat that has been completed.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll
Carroll bemoaned losing out on “a big opportunity” to play at home in primetime against a very competent 49ers squad.
“They got off to a really good start in the first half of this game because we couldn’t get out of our own way enough to make them go long fields and keep the football,” he added.
“We must tidy it up,” Carroll subsequently remarked. “We can’t allow our rivals to have short fields and hope to achieve the kind of outcomes we desire. Playing against this team can be quite challenging when you give them all.
Although the Seahawks were able to cut the deficit to 11 points in the third quarter, they were unable to do so.
“There comes a point where it will seem completely different with just one additional score. And we couldn’t shut that off,” he remarked.
Carroll wants to see more consistency on offense.
“It doesn’t feel right. We’re just not moving the ball steadily, as you can see, and we need to figure out how to achieve that,” he remarked. “It involves combining the resources we have and making better use of the guys we have than we have so far.”
Since Kenneth Walker III was not available for the Seahawks, rookie Zach Charbonnet led the team in total yards gained (58) for the day.
Zach seemed to have run as fast as (Hell). Carroll stated, “He went after it and did a nice job when we gave him a chance.” “.. He plays football well. However, Ken was missed. Zach and Ken have completely distinct styles. I frequently tell you that I enjoy a change of pace, but tonight we didn’t have that.
Carroll didn’t believe quarterback Geno Smith was physically limited despite his elbow injury sustained in the Rams game four days earlier, which made him questionable.
That was unrelated to it. It was alright,” he stated. “.. If it has anything to do with his night this evening, he refuses to tell you. Geno certainly did an excellent job of getting back out, but we need to support him in being productive.
Notable in defense was the first-half substitution of starting cornerback Riq Woolen. Carroll claimed that it was a combination of injury and some bad tackles that led to the benching.
“Riq wasn’t completely recovered. Carroll stated, “He didn’t use his shoulder to tackle well.
Despite not having an injury classification for the game, Woolen’s shoulder ailment was listed on the team’s injury report this week. Additionally, no team notice regarding his absence due to any kind of injury was made during the game.
“We didn’t feel like he was ready, so we went into the game wanting to see if he could hold up,” Carroll said. “And Mike (Jackson) was completely prepared to play. We believe he is an excellent football player, so we have no issues starting him.”
QB Geno Smith
Smith said “no, not at all,” when asked if his elbow impacted his game.
“It was good enough to play, so wasn’t thinking about it. Was just trying to go out there and win,” he said.
Smith finished the day 18 of 27 for 180 yards and an interception and was sacked six times.
“Every guy must first ask himself, ‘What can I do to aid the team?’ while he examines his own film, tape, and reflection in the mirror. How do I become more reliable? How can I improve and be more efficient in the moment so that we score more points than we are already doing? And it begins right here with me,” he declared. “But, as you are aware, all eleven of us are connected, so it is incumbent upon every guy, starting with myself, to examine himself in the mirror.”
The Seahawks have gone 20 drives without a touchdown on offense and have just three touchdowns over their last four games.
Smith remarked, “I still believe in the coaches and the guys we have.” “.. There is no justification for it, and nothing I say will make it better. We must put forth more effort in our task. We must figure out how.
Smith defended offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in response to a question concerning Seattle’s strategy for the game.
“I feel like Shane always does a great job. I’ve got his back 110%. He knows that,” he said. “I feel like it comes down to us executing better as players. No matter what play is called, it comes down to the players making it come to life. Shane’s called some great games for us and he’s going to continue to do that.”
Defensive stars
Brooks, who had Seattle’s biggest play with his pick-6, said the Seahawks’ defense “just didn’t come out ready to go.”
“I don’t think we were all the way there mentally, and that’s why they ended up with seven points right out of the gate,” he said.
Both safety Quandre Diggs and rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon brought up the Seahawks starting slowly in this game.
“We can’t do that because that gives the other team confidence and we’ve got to just shut that down,” Witherspoon said.
The 49ers have won four in a row against the Seahawks, and Diggs said that poor starts have led to all four of those losses.
“We start slow, we get back going and I think it just kind of opens up in the fourth quarter,” he said. “… It’s just been starting slow. You go fight because that’s what this team does, but you find yourself in a hole that’s a little too big to dig out of … They’re a great team. What do you expect? Those guys have been really good for a long time. ”
The 49ers will be the Seahawks’ next opponent in two weeks, and the Dallas Cowboys will present them with yet another challenging matchup on Thursday. As if those two games weren’t difficult enough, Seattle will next play the Philadelphia Eagles, who are currently atop the NFC.
“It’s playoff mode right now. I think we’ve just got to come to work ready to work and take it day by day,” Brooks said.
“I think we need to start faster on both sides of the ball,” Diggs said. “You can’t come out and let those guys get momentum and jump up and try to fight your way back into the game … We’ve got to start faster as a team and play complementary football. That’s all it really is.”
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