2023-11-24 16:40:15
Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
The Seattle Seahawks made a series of transactions to bolster their defense this offseason, with the goal of slowing down the explosive offense of the San Francisco 49ers.
They brought back veteran players and tone-setters in linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive tackle Jarran Reed, handed out decent money in free agency to defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones and safety Jordan Love, drafted cornerback Devon Witherspoon in the first round of this year’s draft and traded second- and fifth-round picks for defensive lineman Leonard Williams last month at the trade deadline.
But none of those moves proved fruitful Thursday, as the 49ers blew past the Seahawks at Lumen Field in the first Thanksgiving Day game in Seattle, 31-13.
Led by Christian McCaffrey’s 114 rushing yards and two scores, San Francisco finished with 169 yards on the ground. McCaffrey now has 11 rushing touchdowns this season, the most in franchise history. Defensively, the 49ers sacked Seattle quarterback Geno Smith six times and forced two Seattle turnovers.
McCaffrey’s second touchdown run was a prime example of San Francisco’s dominance. The Seahawks appeared to have the Stanford product stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, but he cut back once morest the grain, busting through the second level of Seattle’s defense and bulled his way through three would-be tacklers for an 8-yard score.
“He’s a dawg,” San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy said regarding McCaffrey. “You just never know when he’s going to keep going or get out of something. So, for him to do that didn’t really surprise me. But, at the same time I look up to that kind of stuff. He gives us a spark, and an energy to the offense when we need it most.”
In a game that was supposed to be a showdown for NFC West supremacy, the Seahawks once once more appeared woefully overmatched. The 49ers imposed their will on Seattle’s home field in a place where teams coached by Seattle head coach Pete Carroll used to bully opponents during the days of Legion of Boom.
But not anymore.
The Seahawks averaged just 16.4 points a game over the last seven games. Seattle’s offense has not scored an offensive touchdown since the first quarter of last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. That’s 20 possessions without getting into the end zone.
Losers of two straight games and three of their last four, the Seahawks dropped to 6-5 on the year and need major changes to save their season from circling the drain. Playing with a triceps contusion on his throwing arm, quarterback Geno Smith struggled for a second straight game. He finished 18 of 27 for 180 passing yards, with no touchdowns and an interception for 70.0 passer rating.
One of Smith’s few positive plays on the day was an impressive 34-yard highlight reel catch to rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
It doesn’t get any easier, as the Seahawks hit the road to take on the Dallas Cowboys next Thursday.
Meanwhile, Purdy and San Francisco continued to roll, winning the team’s third straight game since the bye week.
San Francisco is 10-0 in the NFC West since the start of the 2022 season. The 49ers have not lost a game within the division since Dec. 5, 2021, a Week 13 loss at Seattle, 30-23. Seattle has lost four straight games to San Francisco (including the postseason) by an average margin of 16 points per game.
Stopping the run has been a critical part of Seattle’s struggles in those losses. The Seahawks have allowed an average of 177 rushing yards to the 49ers over the last four games.
“We have to find the consistency,” Carroll told reporters regarding the offense. “We’re just not feeling it. You can see it. We’re just not moving the ball steadily. And we have to find our way to do that. It’s mixing the stuff we have and using the guys we have better than we have so far.”
The Seahawks will get another opportunity to face the 49ers at Levi’s Field on Dec. 10.
Purdy played solidly for the most part. He did have his share of hiccups, throwing an interception returned for a touchdown in the third quarter by Seattle linebacker Jordyn Brooks — Purdy’s first pick-6 and sixth interception of the year.
However, Purdy finished 21 of 30 passing for 209 yards, with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk and the interception to Brooks. The Seahawks failed to put much pressure on Purdy, sacking him just one time.
Dre Greenlaw led San Francisco with eight combined tackles, while Nick Bosa finished with a game-high two sacks and five quarterback hits. The 49ers held Seattle to just 220 yards and 3-of-11 on third down.
Since making the move to trade for edge rusher Chase Young, the 49ers have totaled 15 sacks over the last three games.
At 8-3, San Francisco holds a two-game advantage over Seattle in the NFC West, including the tiebreaker by sweeping the season series. The 49ers now get 10 days of rest before traveling to the East Coast to face the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of the NFC Championship game.
“Obviously, a big game coming up,” Warner told reporters following the game. “I haven’t really thought regarding it because we had to take care of business here. But we’ll be ready when that time comes.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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