Have the Seattle Seahawks Saved Their Playoff Hopes?

By Curt Popejoy | Oct 27, 2015

Everyone in Seattle had to breathe a sigh of relief when the Seattle Seahawks manhandled the San Francisco 49ers 20-3 on the road last Sunday. The win put their division record to 1-1 and their overall record to 3-4. Hardly a reason to hold a parade, but did this win, and the manner in which they won, mark the turning point in the Seahawks’ season?

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I’d say right now the answer to that question is a solid yes. Not because Seattle upset a better opponent, but because of the way they won, and the current state of the NFC. Let’s first talk about the game.

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It didn’t take very long to understand what the plan of attack was for Seattle. With running back Marshawn Lynch back to being healthy, the Seahawks were going to climb on the back of Beast Mode and let him do all the heavy lifting. Lynch finished the game with 27 carries, including eight on the opening drive that resulted in a touchdown.

In the second half, when the 49ers had the lead, Lynch took over the offense, and racked up 14 carries in the half. Even though Lynch did finish with 122 yards, his longest run of the day was only 17 yards. This is a good sign that Lynch was grinding out yards on every carry, and there was a firm commitment to the run game.

And boy did they need it. Even with the improvement to the rushing attack, the passing game and pass protection still struggled. Quarterback Russell Wilson was hit on eight of 24 dropbacks, and eight of those hits resulted in five sacks. This constant pressure on Wilson also resulted in two interceptions, and also meant another subpar performance out of star tight end Jimmy Graham.

But guess what? None of that matters because they found a way to overcome and win in spite of it. A lot of the credit for that has to go to the Seattle defense. On a day when the passing offense struggled, the defense clamped down. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had as many pass attempts as Wilson, but the Seattle defense actually hit him one more time.

And Sanfrancisco running back Carlos Hyde was only able to rush for 40 yards on 11 carries. Seattle came in focused on stopping the run on early downs and forcing Kaepernick to make plays with his arm on third down. Winning this battle resulted in Seattle running 26 more plays than Seattle, all of them as rushing attempts. This ultimately resulted in a 16-minute advantage in time of possession for Seattle as well.

Oct 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (72) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

So, what is the formula for success? Run the ball and shut down the run on the other side. That’s what Seattle did, and even on a day when the passing game couldn’t get any traction, Seattle wins big against a division rival.

Sitting at 3-4 in the NFC means that the playoffs are still an option. Even the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals look very beatable at 5-2, and still have to face the Seahawks twice this season.

In the final analysis, this game was a great measuring stick for the rest of the season. If the defense can continue to perform like it did against the 49ers, it will give confidence to the offense.

Once they understand that the defense will keep them in games, even late, they can turn to the more conservative, ball-control system that we saw on Sunday. Then, once teams are forced to respect that rushing game, the passing game will improved by extension.

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