Ultimately, it didn’t matter whether the Seattle Seahawks had beaten or lost the San Francisco 49ers. The results elsewhere rooted them in seed # 3, but they recovered to avoid an embarrassing defeat against what was essentially a B team, due to the injuries San Francisco was facing.
There is not much in this game that I want to review, but here are the final winners and losers of the regular 2020 season.
Winners
Tyler Lockett
Lockett had been apparently quiet for more than a month before giving another brilliant performance at State Farm Stadium. The last time he was there he had 15/200/3 against Arizona, this time he got 12/90/2 against San Francisco and the green score. He is the first Seahawks player to reach 100 catches in one season and reminded everyone that he is still a very good receiver.
4th Quarter Russell Wilson
Wilson achieved his recovery / game win in the third quarter of the season and was cast in the two touchdowns that transformed him from a 16-6 handicap to a 19-16 lead. He was more willing to fight, he made smart moves in the race, and both DTs for Lockett were a beautiful thing.
Alex Collins
With Chris Carson’s ear smashed and Rashaad Penny cramping, Alex Collins stepped up the game and put the game on the ice with an eight-yard touchdown that showed speed and determination that was quite similar to his previous TD against the Los Angeles Rams. I’m almost wondering if Collins should really be on the active roster permanently, but that’s unlikely, since Penny was fine, so was Carson, and Carlos Hyde should have come back from the illness.
Chris Carson
Carson was a good underrated game. He only had 13 touches, but five of them were first runs and he had two runs that won nine yards on the 1st and 10th, which analysis and common sense will say are successful plays. It has been difficult for the Seahawks’ racing game to enter at any pace for much of the year, but Carson was able to move on in the 4th quarter, when the attack desperately needed important players to perform well.
David Moore
Congratulations on the extra money, my dear. You deserved it!
Benson Mayowa
Quietly, a very good year for Mayowa (aside from the terrible leverage penalty he suffered in the Cardinals’ first game). Two bags in the afternoon, including the end-of-game strip-sack. He ends the year with six sacks, behind only Jarran Reed and Jamal Adams for most of the team.
KJ Wright
Please don’t let KJ out. He’s still playing at a high level and blowing up George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk in the open. The man should be at the Seahawks Ring of Honor when his career is over.
Rasheem Green
Rasheem was never really due to injuries, but he was great today. A third sack that led to a 49ers field goal and then fumble recovery after Mayowa’s strip sack. I still hope that Green can be at least a competent rotating piece on the Seahawks’ defensive line.
Nick Bellore
Bellore had a hell of a special team to face in a punt return, literally taking a 49ers blocker and taking it to River Cracraft. He also recovered the side kick to ensure that San Francisco could not make a miraculous recovery. Pro Bowler on ST for a reason!
Jason Myers
Myers lost a PAT, but that turned out to be a good thing in the long run, because he forced the Seahawks to go down 16-12 instead of settling for a 16-13 field goal. He is only the third kicker in NFL history (joining Gary Anderson and Mike Vanderjagt) to have a perfect season by trying at least 23 field goals.
Losers
Russell Wilson 1st-3rd Quarter
That was really bad. I’m focusing directly on Wilson because I suspect that All-22 will reveal that many of the offensive failures were Russ’s poor execution and not Schottenheimer’s bad plays. His accuracy on the field has been silenced in recent weeks and this makes him a worse quarterback. Russ’s turnover has slowed, but at what cost to his overall game? I’m a little concerned about how often the Seahawks’ passing game has fought against a stronger defense scheme than when Let Russ Cook was at his peak.
Shaquill Griffin
Griffin is very frustrating because on his best day he is clearly the best corner on the team. But he gave up a big catch for Richie James Jr on a 3rd and 14th and was lucky that CJ Beathard did not punish his failure to cover that left George Kittle open for a touchdown.
DK Metcalf
Very inefficient day for DK. Only three receptions for 21 yards on nine targets and while he broke Steve Largent Seahawks’ record in a single season of yards received, he had another drop (slightly behind him, but catchable) and wasn’t really a significant factor.
Final Notes
- Jordyn Brooks led the team in tackles and, from my count, most of her tackles resulted in minimal or no win. He was defeated by a touchdown in the final seconds, but that is just a small detail when Seattle practically had the game in his hands. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to suggest that it is already an upgrade from Mychal Kendricks.
- I really hope Jarran Reed and Jamal Adams will be able to go next week or else this is a big blow to the defense. There is optimism in Adams, but we still don’t know what the deal with Reed is, which has resurfaced since Carlos Dunlap was acquired.
- The offensive line still has serious problems in achieving stunts and is leading to instant pressures or sloppy moves. I really hope that Mike Iupati and Brandon Shell will be able to come back next week.
- I am not exactly satisfied with the defense of the start of the second half in relation to the personnel that the 49ers had in the field. I think there are still reasons to worry about the Seahawks against a much more competent offense just about that, but they still made critical stops when asked about them more often than they noticed.
- Bring the sheep! John Wolford, Jared Goff, Jim Everett, Jamie Martin, I don’t give a shit. It will be a tough game with few points, but I would love for the Seahawks to win again and send their rivals home forever.