Grades from Thursday night’s Seahawks game in San Francisco. Seattle beat the 49ers 19-3.
Offense: B+
Scoring just 19 points isn’t impressive on the surface, but considering the circumstances — road game, one of the league’s top defenses, short week — Seattle’s offense had a very good and balanced day. Marshawn Lynch went for 104 yards on 20 carries, Russell Wilson had his second straight very efficient game, averaging more than 10 yards per completion without a turnover, and nearly everyone got involved catching passes. Penalties were one of the few negatives for the offense, and were the main reason why the score wasn’t really lopsided.
Video highlights from Seahawks’ victory over 49ers
Defense: A
To get an idea of how stifling Seattle’s defense was Thursday, you could look at the single field goal allowed. Or the measly 164 yards gained by the 49ers. Or Richard Sherman’s two interceptions. But perhaps simplest way to illustrate Seattle’s dominance of the 49ers offense is to look at the “how given up” column in San Francisco’s drive chart, which reads, “punt, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt, end of half, field goal, interception, end of game.” The Seahawks didn’t just back up last Sunday’s performances against the Cardinals, they improved upon it.
Special teams: A-
In one a classic it’s-just-your-day moment, Jon Ryan fumbled a snap, but still made a nice play to get the punt off. Then the Seahawks forced a fumble on the ensuing return. The Seahawks might have been a bit lucky to get the punt off, but the coverage that led to the fumble was part of a very strong day by Seattle’s coverage units. Throw in a 4-for-4 day on field goal attempts by kicker Steven Hauschka, and the Seahawks were a big return or two and a couple penalties away from a flawless day on special teams.
Coaching: A-
Getting a team prepared for a Thursday game is tough. And the challenge is even bigger when the game is on the road against a good team and on the heels of a game against another physical team. Yet the Seahawks were clearly the better-prepared team, both schematically and physically, and were even more dominant than the 16-point margin suggests. The only things not to like were the 14 penalties for 105 yards and the continuation of the red zone struggles, and yes, those two are very much related.
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