Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers: 6 Things We've Learned from Both Teams

The San Francisco 49ers rode two late special teams touchdowns to victory on Sunday, beating the Seattle Seahawks.

However, both teams still have several things to work on. The game as a whole was sloppy, and the teams combined for 20 penalties covering almost 175 yards.

Jim Harbaugh was successful in his first game as an NFL head coach, but he certainly recognizes his team has some areas that need a fair amount of attention.

Pete Carroll is very pleased with the status of his defense, but recognizes there is still room for improvement. Anyone that watched the game knows there is a lot of work to do in other areas.

There are some specific takeaways from this game...some obvious, and one or two surprises.

Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers Both Have Much Work To Do on Offense

To be fair, both of these teams expect to have good defenses this season.  

The 49ers utilized a strong pass rush and front seven play to disrupt the Seahawks, particularly in the first half. But Seattle showed in the second half that San Francisco's defense is susceptible to a good game plan. Their secondary will give up big plays if teams can protect their quarterback better than Seattle was able to do.

Seattle had great starting talent last season, but poor depth. When injuries occurred the team wasn't able to plug holes and stop teams. That isn't likely going to be the case in 2011, and San Francisco saw some of that in Week 1.

To assist with an assessment of the offenses, following are a few figures from one of Sunday's games:

30 First Downs
428 Yards
Three Offensive Touchdowns

Without looking...are those the figures for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday or the combined totals for Seattle and San Francisco? 

Anyone that said it had to be Arizona...you are actually short-changing them in yards. While they "only" had 28 first downs, they put up 477 yards on the Carolina Panthers in their 28-21 victory.

Seattle's blocking...both run and pass...was almost non-existent in the first half. They managed to find some rhythm in the second half, picking up yards on the ground and through the air.

Neither Alex Smith nor Tarvaris Jackson are putting much fear into opposing defenses at this point. Smith was a little better on the day, hitting 15 of 20 passes.  However, Seattle failed to put a solid pass rush together. When they did manage to pressure Smith, the 49ers had a running back ready to pick up the rush.

Some will argue that the San Francisco offense did what it had to do, but that may not be a completely accurate summation. For example, twice they had the ball first and goal on a drive late in the game when they needed a touchdown.  They were unable to capitalize, wasting David Akers great flop to draw the phantom roughing the kicker call. 

They also struggled to move the ball and were most certainly concerned when Seattle cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter.

Ted Ginn, Jr.'s kickoff return nullified an opportunity for the offense to rally and show they can control the ball and pace of the game.  Perhaps they would have responded with another sustained drive, but 49er fans should be concerned about their offense's ability if they are called upon with the game on the line.

Seattle fans were already concerned with their offense.

The San Francisco 49er Pass Blocking Could Be Better Than Projected

The San Francisco 49er offensive line had many issues last season, particularly in pass protection. Those issues continued in preseason, as they were unable to pick up blitzes and protect their quarterback.

Seattle expected to be able to pressure the quarterback this season. They had their double-digit sack masters back this season, and made changes in the middle of the line to be able to create pressure.

However, on most passing plays Alex Smith was able to camp in the pocket and give his targets time to find an opening.

When Seattle did get through the line, the 49ers were prepared with a running back to pick him up.

The down-side for the 49ers is they often had to dedicate more than five blockers to protect Smith. They will encounter situations where they need to send more than three receivers into pass routes. It is yet to be seen if they can send four receivers into routes and still maintain a solid pocket.

They could be improved at the receiver positions, and perhaps this comment deserves its own slide. However, Crabtree was a non-factor in this game; until he can show he is healthy the 49ers will have to continue to utilize Vernon Davis and be pleased with their addition of Braylon Edwards.

Ted Ginn, Jr. Shows Kickoff Returns Still Do Matter

This isn't the first time any of us have heard this, but so much for the elimination of kickoff returns.

When it looked as though the 49ers were going to let a game slip through their fingers, Ted Ginn, Jr. put the team on his shoulders. He took a kick a few yards deep in the end zone and ran, untouched, down the field and to pay-dirt.

The outcome of these plays might have been different had Seattle been at full strength on their special teams. Michael Robinson and Byron Maxwell were both lost earlier in the game, and their primary contributions come on special teams. This doesn't diminish Ginn, Jr.'s contribution, though.

Ginn, Jr. has amazing speed and can get to openings other returners can't. Even though the 49ers asked him to take a pay-cut, he went out and showed how important he is to this team.

He still has some work to do. He gave up yards on two returns attempting to get around the corner of the defenders. But I'm sure the 49ers will accept the losses on two returns to get the two returns for touchdowns, along with another long punt return that set up a field goal.

Ginn is particularly useful on kicks in San Francisco. Stadium wind can make it a tricky place to kick and it is unlikely that kickers will be able to consistently force a team to accept touchbacks. This won't be the last time he makes national highlight reels this season.

32 Teams Made a Big Mistake During the Draft: The Seahawks Made Up for Theirs

Somehow Doug Baldwin managed to sit on the draft board for seven rounds of selections and not receive a phone call from an NFL franchise.

One of these teams, the 49ers, had the advantage of having his head coach running their team. They still opted to not draft Baldwin, and were left scrambling for pass catchers during free agency. 

Seattle was very interested in a player that had similar traits to Baldwin, and who also had a very big day in his first NFL game. Randall Cobb was a second-round draft pick for the Green Bay Packers.

Baldwin may not be quite as good as Cobb, but getting him as an undrafted free agent was a huge steal. Seattle put a fair amount of their available $75,000 for undrafted free agents on the line to get him.

In the process, they kept a division rival from signing him, adding a little extra boost.

The Seattle Seahawks Are Developing a Very Good Defense

To be fair, part of Seattle's defensive success can be attributed to the 49er offense.  They still seem to have issues in the passing game.

However, San Francisco does have a good ground game, and Frank Gore was simply a non-factor in this game. He did have a few long runs, one for a first down. But he had fewer than three yards per carry with 59 yards on 22 carries.

The Seahawks are very young on defense, and were even younger than they expect to be on Sunday. David Hawthorne was a last-minute scratch, leaving rookie K.J. Wright to start in the middle in his first NFL game.

The offensive line swallowed up blockers, freeing the linebackers up to make plays. Aaron Curry seemed to be the primary beneficiary, as he made several key plays. Many NFL analysts have considered him a bust, but he looks primed to show he can be a factor in the NFL.

The Seahawks secondary looks as though it could develop into a very good unit this season. Marcus Trufant is playing better than he has in years.

Brandon Browner was given his first NFL start as a Seahawk and tried to make the most of it. He had a very questionable flag thrown on him for pass interference in the end zone. Braylon Edwards seemed to create more contact than he received but was given the benefit of the doubt on the play.

The real gem of the defense is at the safety positions. This unit created an amazing competition in the preseason, eventually having to part ways with two players they believed were very good players and solid fits for the team.

On Sunday, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor showed they aren't just deep...the starters have the potential to become the best starting tandem in the NFL. They offered great support in the ground game and covered the field on passing plays.

It seemed that Earl Thomas was a factor in almost every play. He made a few powerful open-field tackles on Frank Gore when he had a full head of steam, adding credence to his ability to be a solid producer in rush defense.

As Thomas mentioned after the game, it appears as though he's caught up to the speed of the NFL. He is recognizing what is going to be happening before the snap and the game is almost in slow motion in front of him.  This is very bad news for opposing offenses.

Kelly Jennings Is STILL Hurting the Seahawks

Sorry, Seahawks fans, but I'm not sure what to say. Most Seahawk fans thought the days of being disappointed by a player with so much talent and potential were over.

To be fair to Kelly Jennings (and a lot of Seahawk fans weren't), he is great at blanketing receivers. He sticks to them as good as most cornerbacks in the NFL. The problem is he plays as though he is allergic to leather.

Despite all the opportunities, he had just two interceptions in his career and seemed unable to make a play on the ball to keep receivers from catching it after it passed through Jenning's arms.

But he hit a new low on Sunday. He was called for an illegal block, nullifying a long Leon Washington punt return. He cost Seattle momentum and a chance to punch in a quick touchdown vs. a longer drive to kick a field goal.

Some fans have blamed Brandon Browner for the infraction, but his block was legal. The location of the flag also calls that into question.

Fact is, the referee said the flag was on 21.  Since we are unable to find see the infraction, we might as well blame Jennings. Fans are accustomed to blaming him even if the play wasn't his fault.  

Enjoy it...this really is likely to be the last time he can have the finger pointed his direction for hurting Seattle.  And yes, I say this knowing he'll be coming to Seattle with his new team next month.