Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers: Full Report Card Grades for Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks are making 19-3 victories seem routine as they finished off another dominant victory over an NFC West division rival. The Seahawks offense continued to do enough while the defense appears to have found the mean streak that made them an elite unit a year ago.
The San Francisco 49ers were held to 164 yards of offense, with 31 of them coming on an all-out garbage-time drive. The low score for Seattle is a bit deceiving, as they cost themselves prime opportunities due to penalties. Paul Richardson had a touchdown reception nullified by a penalty call as well.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick appeared to be off kilter from the get-go; throwing several passes high, low, behind and out of reach throughout the night.
"Eating dinner on the 49ers logo. Seattle south. Happy Thanksgiving, courtesy L.O.B. #Seahawks #birdhouse pic.twitter.com/HgVXvfyGE6
— Ray Hartjen (@RayHartjen) November 28, 2014"
Final Game Stats
| Seattle Seahawks | Category | San Francisco 49ers |
|---|---|---|
| 379 | Total Yards | 164 |
| 222 | Passing Yards | 100 |
| 8.5 | Yards Per Attempt | 3.0 |
| 157 | Rushing Yards | 64 |
| 4.6 | Yards Per Attempt | 3.6 |
| 14-105 | Penalties | 3-20 |
| 0 | Turnovers | 3 |
| 5-14 | Third-Down Conversions | 4-11 |
| 35:19 | Possession | 24:41 |
Quarterback
1 of 10
Russell Wilson is back to normal, driving defensive linemen crazy and throwing lasers to any target he can find. The offense still doesn't look sharp in the red zone, but Wilson consistently provides his team with must-have plays to keep drives alive.
Though his final game stats are rarely gaudy, Wilson's ability to get the Seattle offense out of trouble caused by its excessive number of penalties is an intangible that goes underrated by many. The third-year pro finished the day completing 15 of 22 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.
He also scrambled for 35 yards on seven carries in a rare game where his running wasn't an absolute necessity. The juxtaposition of Wilson and Colin Kaepernick was obvious from the start of the game, despite the teams' similar starts.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
Marshawn Lynch reached 100 yards rushing for the fourth time this season, finishing with 104 on 20 carries for a 5.2-yard-per-carry average. Though his back didn't appear to bother him, head coach Pete Carroll said it flared up a bit during the game.
Despite the minor flareup, Lynch seemed healthy as could be expected, breaking tackles and galloping away from arm-tacklers throughout the evening. He also had one reception for a gain of seven yards, but was outdone in the category by Robert Turbin and his two grabs for 47 yards.
Turbin stepped in for Lynch in the first half, but only had eight yards on four carries. Christine Michael chipped in with 12 yards receiving and 10 yards on the ground. As a team, Seattle finished with 157 yards and a 4.6-yard-per-carry average.
The ground game moved the chains and had big plays too, as one of Turbin's grabs went for a 13-yard touchdown. Lynch also had a 33-yard run in the game. It was the kind of day one would expect from the Seahawks.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Seahawks looked like the 2013 version of themselves, running the ball effectively and finding receivers for big plays and key first downs when needed. Russell Wilson found eight different targets on his 15 completions, so you know no one in particular stood out.
Luke Willson led the team in receptions with four, on six targets, for 39 yards. Fellow tight end Tony Moeaki led the Seahawks in receiving yards with one grab for 63 yards, falling just a yard short of a touchdown.
The team's tight ends continued to produce despite Cooper Helfet being scratched from the lineup. The addition of Moeaki is one that will pay dividends for this team down the stretch. Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse combined for five catches and 62 yards to help move the chains.
It was solid production from the group, as they were able to take advantage of a few breakdowns in San Francisco's coverage.
Grade: B+
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line allowed four sacks to the 49ers, down from seven the previous week, but the improvement in blocking appeared more significant. Marshawn Lynch had plenty of running lanes and cutback options throughout the game and the screen game was very effective.
The blocking on screen passes was spectacular early, making it seem as though the 49ers had not prepared for it at all. Wilson helped his team out on a few plays by buying time with his legs, but the 49ers only hit him five times in the game.
It was a solid all-around outing from the unit, but they can still do better by getting the sacks allowed down.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Seahawks racked up four sacks of their own in the divisional battle, with Cliff Avril taking Colin Kaepernick down first. Michael Bennett had a sack of his own, with the rest going to a couple of linebackers.
Jordan Hill knocked down one of Kaepernick's passes at the line of scrimmage, and the unit accounted for three of the team's seven tackles for loss. San Francisco's rushing attack struggled to get anything going, finishing with 64 yards total in the game.
Kaepernick accounted for 17 of the 49ers' rushing yards, while Frank Gore led the team with 28 yards on 10 carries. San Francisco had a handful of nice runs in the game, but Seattle stymied them for the most part, leaving them in 3rd-and-long situations.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
6 of 10
Bobby Wagner led the team in tackles again, totaling 10 tackles with two going for a loss. Wagner and the rest of the linebackers helped crowd the line of scrimmage to stop the 49ers run game and dare Colin Kaepernick to throw the ball.
K.J. Wright seems to have benefitted more than anyone from Wagner's return to the lineup after being forced to play out of position for several weeks. Wright finished second on the team with seven tackles and a sack. Bruce Irvin took Kaepernick down for a sack as well.
The 49ers tried to get by on short throws over the middle for most of the game, but the Seattle linebackers were always there to make the tackle immediately.
Grade: A+
Secondary
7 of 10
Richard Sherman was in prime form for this game, ready to take on Michael Crabtree in a rematch of the two teams' NFC Championship Game meeting last season. When Crabtree went down with an injury 56 seconds into the game, that showcase went out the window (though he returned).
Still, Colin Kaepernick chose to test Sherman on a few occasions in the game. The tests resulted in Sherman picking off two passes and narrowly missing out on a third.
Kam Chancellor appears to be at full strength, making several of the big hits that make receivers nervous to come over the middle of the field.
Earl Thomas was everywhere, and Byron Maxwell smothered Anquan Boldin. Carlos Hyde led the 49ers in receiving yards with 38, but the top "receiver" was Stevie Johnson with 28 yards on three grabs. Boldin finished with 18.
Grade: A+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Seattle got away with an illegal punt that would result in a fumble by San Francisco's Perrish Cox and a recovery for the Seahawks. Punter Jon Ryan fumbled the snap and dodged a rusher before kicking the ball, but Seattle had an illegal man downfield on the play that should have been called. Either way, Seattle failed to capitalize on the two mistakes.
Steven Hauschka had another busy day, knocking through four field goals. The 49ers never made any big, field-position-swinging plays, thanks to Seattle's coverage unit.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
Darrell Bevell's offense is still a work in progress, but he has them on the right track. Keeping the team's tight ends involved in the passing game has made the team a bit more dynamic, giving Russell Wilson enough to work with on his improvisations.
The Seattle defense has crescendoed as the season has worn along and players have returned from injury. The special teams unit has been sound in their coverage—though they did allow a blocked field goal a week ago—but there's still room for improvement there as well.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A+ |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | B+ |
| OL | B |
| DL | A- |
| LB | A+ |
| DB | A+ |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | A- |
This was a big win for the Seahawks, helping to create space in the playoff race between themselves and San Francisco as they moved up to fifth in the conference. The Dallas Cowboys' loss drops them to seventh, and Seattle maintains a tiebreak advantage over the Detroit Lions.
The only way for Seattle to move higher is if they catch the Arizona Cardinals, who are now 1.5 games ahead in the division.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
