TALKING POINTS
Hello Thomas Rawls!
Rawls was supposed to serve in a back-up role Sunday. But when Marshawn Lynch was a late scratch because of an abdominal injury, Rawls was called on to carry the load. And oh how he carried it. The undrafted rookie out of Central Michigan had one of the best days ever by a Seahawks running back. He gained 209 yards on 30 carries, which is the second-highest single-game total in franchise history, only trailing Shaun Alexander’s 266-yard effort in 2001. His 255 all-purpose yards was third, behind Alexander (273) and receiver Steve Largent (261 in 1987). He added two touchdowns, one on the ground and one in the air.
And it wasn’t just the yards, it was how he gained them. Rawls showed a lot of everything. He finished off runs by powering through would-be tacklers, but he also made cuts on a dime and zoomed past defenders with his speed. Add in his three catches for 46 yards and he looked like the total package.
This could have been a passing-of-the-torch moment for the Seahawks at running back. Seattle has been pondering the Lynch succession plan for some time, without unearthing any potential successors. But Rawls seems to be making that decision for the Seahawks.
And the moment may be now. Lynch is scheduled to fly to Philadelphia on Monday see Dr. William Meyers, a specialist in core and muscle injuries. Dr. Meyers has performed sports hernia surgeries on a number of high-profile athletes, including Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano. After the game Seattle coach Pete Carroll refused to rule out the possibility Lynch has a sports hernia, in which case it would become the Thomas Rawls show in Seattle.
Rawls was only part of Seattle’s best offensive day of the season — the Seahawks, who hadn’t even surpassed 400 yards in a game this season, finished with 508. Quarterback Russell Wilson, subjected of questions about distractions in the lead-up to Sunday’s game, was flawless. He went 24-for-29 for 260 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and his 138.5 passer rating was a season high. Even his incompletions were good as they almost all came when he was intentionally throwing the ball away.
The end result was a lot of good numbers for Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks, who have struggled on third down and in the red zone this season, were 8-for-14 on third down and converted two of their three red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.
Other notes for the game:
– Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman shadowed 49ers receiver Torrey Smith for the second straight game. Smith finished with just one reception for 16 yards.
– Receiver Tyler Lockett had a great game, catching two touchdown passes. All four of Seattle’s TDs were scored by rookies.
– If there was one issue on defense it was in defending tight ends, as San Francisco’s tight ends combined on six catches for 100 yards and scored the 49ers’ only touchdown. The Seahawks have allowed seven TDs to tight ends this season.
– The Seahawks made a change mid-game at cornerback as Cary Williams was benched in favor of Deshawn Shead. Shead, who had been playing the nickel, moved outside in the third quarter with Marcus Burley taking over in the slot.
– Seattle missed two extra points, with Steven Hauschka kicking wide on one and having a second blocked. That prevented the Seahawks from breaking the 30-point barrier.
– On the injury front, center Patrick Lewis suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter and did not return. Lemuel Jeanpierre took over for the remainder of the game. Receiver Doug Baldwin also suffered an ankle injury late in the game, but although he’ll have an MRI he was moving around OK after the game. Guards Justin Britt and J.R. Sweezy both suffered stingers in their necks, but returned after brief absences.
TURNING POINT
Oddly, the game turned most on a moment that favored the 49ers. Seattle was on its way to a big-time rout, leading 20-0 late in the first half when the Seahawks took a defensive timeout with 1:03 remaining and San Francisco facing third-and-7 from its own 30-yard line, anticipating getting the ball back. The move backfired as the 49ers converted the third down, then finished off a 92-yard drive to get on the scoreboard. The play didn’t affect the outcome, but it did bring San Francisco into the game for the first time, and the 49ers at least remained within contact through the third quarter.
QUOTABLE
“Marshawn came up to me [before the game] and said, ‘Look young in’, I’m going to pass you the torch for the day, you know what to do.’ That’s all I did. I just waited on my number to get called, and [I went] out there and served as best as I could for the team.”
– Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls
BOX SCORE
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