Seahawks vs. 49ers: What We Learned from Seattle's Dominant Win

The days of the brutal battles between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are over.

What used to be the best rivalry in football has become a sad reminder that no league shows us how easy it is to hit rock bottom more cruelly than the NFL.

So while the best NFC West matchups are behind us, let's look at what we learned from the "new" rivalry in Seattle's 20-3 win on Thursday. (Besides Thursday Night Football's inability to produce quality games.)

To start, the Seahawks offense still runs through Marshawn Lynch.

No matter the amount of plays (or money) quarterback Russell Wilson makes, this offense is starving for playmakers on the outside. Because they can't open up the passing game, especially the middle for Jimmy Graham, the Seahawks rely on the run, and no running back is as automatic as Beast Mode. He's the backbone and the personified definition of Seattle's motto on toughness.

Lynch had 27 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown. A solid game, but what's important is that eight of his carries and the touchdown came on the first drive. 

Establishing that run early opened up play action, which Seattle used for its biggest play of the game, a 43-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to rookie receiver Tyler Lockett. It was the longest play of the game and Wilson's longest touchdown pass of the season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Having said that, the Seahawks are a defensive team and will go as far as their defensive line takes them.

In the current state of the NFL, where defensive backs can't play as physically (or even play defense really), their impacts drop a bit. The NFL will always favor offense and not even the Legion of Boom is exempt.

So the onus is on the defensive line. If the Giants' Super Bowl runs in 2007 and 2011, and the Seahawks' in 2013, taught us anything, it's the D-line can be the kryptonite to any offense. 

"We know what type of defense we are," Michael Bennett said, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. "We were playing great defense the last couple weeks, but we just had some slippage in the second half. And no miscommunications today. We were on the same page."

Linemen Bennett (3.5 sacks), Cliff Avril (1.5) and Brandon Mebane (.5) combined for 5.5 sacks and disrupted any shot the 49ers had at creating a decent drive.

If the Seahawks want to make a third run to the Super Bowl, these type of games have to keep happening. 

Conversely, last night showed us the 49ers are in complete disarray with no end in sight. (It's bad when your starting quarterback is playing this poorly, but you can't bench him because your backup is Blaine Gabbert.)

In fact, the offense was so bad, it mustered eight first downs and only 165 yards of total offense.

Colin Kaepernick's time in San Fran is at its end. He was a promising prospect and was one play away from leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl in 2012 and a trip back in 2013, but since then has never been the same.

He lacks the accuracy needed from a quarterback, regardless if he can run or not. 

Truthfully, it's time the 49ers start shopping him because both the franchise and Kaepernick could use fresh starts. (As an Eagles fan, I say come on down to Philly, Colin. That is, unless Chip Kelly takes the USC job.)

The NFC West isn't the same division we loved so dearly, but who knows, maybe St. Louis or Arizona will replace San Fran.