SAN FRANCISCO – The fabled life of the Seattle Seahawks’ offense might finish each season as a swan, but it always gets reborn as an ugly duckling.
The beauty inevitably returns at some point, and if Sunday’s game was any indication, the metamorphosis has begun.
Seattle’s offense came to the rescue on an afternoon when the injury-plagued defense struggled, piling up 453 yards en route to Sunday’s 42-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
It may not have been the most comfortable win. But, thanks to an offensive breakout, the victory pushed the Seahawks (5-3) into sole possession of first place in the NFC West as they prepare for a key NFC West showdown.
“We’re getting into our comfort zone,” wide receiver Koren Robinson said. “We’re running the ball great, throwing the ball great, and we’re spreading the ball around. That’s the offense. If we play our game, there’s nobody that can stop us.”
While Robinson helped out with a 25-yard touchdown reception to put Seattle ahead to stay in the third quarter, most of the damage was done by running back Shaun Alexander and wide receiver Darrell Jackson.
Alexander put together his second consecutive big game, rushing for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Over the past two weeks, he has carried the ball 58 times for 355 yards and scored four touchdowns.
He now leads the NFC in rushing yards (879) and touchdowns (12).
“Shaun was hitting the holes, making people miss, and running through tackles,” Jackson said. “When that happens, everything’s good. It really gets our offense going, and everybody’s able to make plays.”
Jackson also scored a pair of touchdowns while catching five passes for a season-high 114 yards. The 25-year-old receiver didn’t practice all week due to a sprained ankle, but he couldn’t have turned in a more important performance.
“We’re better when we’re balanced,” said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. “We’ve been more conscious of being balanced the last two weeks, and that’s helped.”
Any thoughts of another 34-0 blowout were erased less than three minutes into the game, when San Francisco scored first. After the Seahawks’ opening drive resulted in two sacks, Donnie Jones shanked a 31-yard punt that was returned to the Seattle 21-yard line. Three plays later, Kevan Barlow scored from the 3, and the 49ers took a 7-0 lead.
The Seahawks came back to tie the score, then took a 21-17 halftime lead behind Alexander’s two touchdowns.
But the 49ers (1-7) showed no signs of letup. They opened the second half with a five-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to pull ahead 24-21 before Seattle’s offense found another gear.
Robinson’s touchdown capped off a three-play, 73-yard drive that saw Hasselbeck complete all three of his pass attempts. After a three-and-out on its next possession, Seattle’s offense essentially put the game away with an 11-play, 94-yard drive that culminated in Jackson’s second touchdown.
That 35-24 lead got clipped to 35-27 on a San Francisco field goal before Anthony Simmons intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to put the final nail in the 49ers’ coffin midway through the fourth quarter.
Although the Seahawks gave up 317 yards and 27 points to a team they shut out six weeks earlier, the win was enough to soothe any wounds.
“We’re pretty much in do-or-die mode,” Seahawks defensive lineman Chike Okeafor said. “We definitely need all these – for momentum and for the win column. We have to keep building on this momentum and take advantage of our opportunity.”
The Seahawks stand alone atop the NFC West and have a trip to St. Louis planned for this weekend. The Rams (4-4) have dropped two games in a row and are desperate for a win.
“This game is monstrous,” Alexander said of this Sunday’s game between the Seahawks and Rams. “I still believe that, until we beat them, they’re the (division) champions. I’d be lying to say that this isn’t a huge week for us. We’re probably going to have our best week of practice because we’ve got to.”
The last time the Seahawks and Rams squared off, Seattle’s offense looked like it had finally turned the corner. A huge first half helped the Seahawks take a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter, but St. Louis came back to win.
Ever since that game, Seattle’s offense has continued to struggle.
At least until Sunday afternoon in sunny San Francisco.
“We wanted to show everybody what type of offense we have,” Robinson said. “Now’s the time in the season when we usually get fired up, and it carries on. Hopefully, it will carry us into the playoffs.”
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