Seattle Seahawks Cook San Francisco 49ers On Turkey Day
Five days ago, the story was that the Seattle Seahawks were far from dead. They controlled their own destiny down the stretch, and simply had to keep shining against the NFC West in order to up their playoff odds. Today, the story is that the Seahawks might yet be the best team in the NFC, if not the NFL.
Going up against a familiarly tough opponent on the road, the Seahawks turned in one of their best performances of the year, a 19-3 drubbing of the San Francisco 49ers. All season long, the ‘Hawks early struggles were seen as a harbinger of doom, in no small part because of the tough schedule at the end of the year. But no schedule’s that tough if you’re the best.
Against NFC West rivals Arizona and San Francisco this week, the Seahawks defense has allowed six points. Count ’em, six. These were the games that were supposed to break the ‘Hawks – unless, that is, they were to make them. So following this stretch of brilliance, the defining stretch of season is no longer the early-season losing streak. It’s this. It’s this insanity.
Russell Wilson: 15 for 22, 236 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions. Colin Kaepernick: 16 for 29, 121 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions. Remember when this used to be a debate people would have, about who’s franchise quarterback was franchisey-er? Nobody’s talking that talk anymore. It’s Wilson. Russell Wilson is incredible, and Colin Kaepernick is not. That simple.
Anyone think the Seahawks are reconsidering their obsession with shipping Marshawn Lynch out of town come season’s end? Lynch played like a maniac today, dragging defenders at his feet en route to a 104-yard game. Robert Turbin looked good on the ground, but better catching passes. He hauled in the game’s only touchdown in the first quarter, then caught another long pass later on. He shone. It’s cool when the Seahawks offense shines, especially when it’s more than just the usual suspects showing up.
As fun as it was watching Russell on cruise control, this game was all about the defense. Richard Sherman, of course, led the way with two interceptions, one of which started the drive that ended with a Seahawks’ touchdown. Cliff Avril was all pressure, all the time, adding a sack for good measure. The Legion of Boom was just that. It was a fairly incredible showing, even considering the fame and regard of this unit, even considering what they’d done just five days prior.
Seattle finished with 379 total net yards. San Francisco? 164. This was total domination, against a division rival, with playoff eligibility hanging in the balance of every play. The ‘9ers are now exactly where the Seahawks had so desperately hoped not to be, while the ‘Hawks themselves are looking damn near unstoppable heading into the most important stretch of the year. So the rest of the schedule is tough? Sure. But have you seen these last two games? Hard to argue there’s anything in this world much tougher than the Seattle Seahawks right now.