Seahawks outmatched in 31-13 loss to the Niners

A lethargic start on both sides of the ball put the Seahawks in a hole they could not dig themselves out in their  31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.  The much-anticipated match-up between the NFC West’s top two teams on Thanksgiving Night turned out to be a one-sided affair.  After a promising field goal in their opening drive the  Seahawks offense stumbles and sputtered when it reached the red zone. Two field goal was all the points the offense would produce making it seven straight quarters without an offensive touchdown.

A refocus at halftime and improved play in the second half could not overcome the horrendous first half in which the team had six first-half offensive possessions, resulting in the lone field goal, three punts an interception, and one missed field goal.  The offense had 56 total yards to the Niners 225 yards.   

“ It was a big opportunity tonight playing a really good team, good setting, good opportunity for us to be at home. In the first half of this game we couldn’t get out of our way enough to make them go long fields and they keep the football, and so they got off to a great start. Really good drive to open up; they go 45 with the next drive; then they scored, and 50 something with the next one. So the field was too short to hold these guys down the way we needed to, said  Head Coach Pete Carroll during his post-game press conference. “ We got nothing done on offense in the first half, and so it was halftime, here we go. What are we going to do about it? Our guys jumped back and got going in the game, moved the football better, we get off the field a few times, we get the turnover. “

The defense had some bright plays but there were just not enough of them against a well-balanced offense. The good was that the defense allowed just one  49ers touchdown in the second half and scored on a  Jordyn Brooks 12-yard pick-six. The bad was that the defense gave up 24 first-half points which was all the  Niners needed.

BALANCED  OFFENSE KEPT DEFENSE ON ITS BACKHEELS

For the game, the Niners offense amassed  377 yards, 169 rushing, and 208 passing. Running back Cristian McCraffey rushed for 114 yards on 19 carries and scored two touchdowns.  Quarterback Brock Pursy completed 21 of  30 passes for 209 yards one touchdown and the pick-six to Jordyn  Brooks in the third quarter.   The Niner’s strategy of attacking the Seahawks line-backers with jet sweeps, inside runs, and crossing routes kept Brooks and Bobby Wagner on their heels for much of the game. The Niners were able to neutralize the Seahawk’s interior which made life difficult for the line-backer and defensive backs.

ANOTHER LACKLUSTRE OFFENSIVE  EFFORT

AS bad as the defense played the offense played worse. The issues are the same ones that have plagued the offense for the last several games.  Geno Smith had thrown another interception, missed assignments up front saw Smith running for his life and a lack of running lanes saw the team run for just 88 yards. The team had five penalties for 39 yards with the issue being the number and when they occurred.  The missed cues and lack of attention to detail are resulting in an offense that lacks rhythm and consistency.

“I think it kind of starts with every guy individually really just looking at his own film, his own tape, kind of looking himself in the mirror and say, what can I do to help the team? How can I be more consistent? How can I be more effective on a down-to-down basis and play better so that we can score more points than we are right now, “said Geno Smith when asked what needs to change on the offensive side of the ball. “ It directly starts with me. But as you know, we’re all connected out there, all 11, so every single guy has to look himself in the mirror, starting with me. We get time to reflect on this. It’s tough. We get the time to reflect on it and figure out ways to get better. “

BIG PICTURE

After last year’s 41- 23 Wild Card loss to the Niners Pete Carroll was given a blueprint in which to build a roster that would compete against the Niners. The team- resigned Geno Smith, spent $124.5 million to shore up the defense, drafted Devon Witherspoon, and gave up a 2nd and 5th-round pick for Leonard Williams. Last night’s game was the litmus test. Safe to say the Seahawks are still a work in progress .

TEAM STATS

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