Hawks Eye View Week 8: In Week of Big Divisional Games, Seahawks Lead Pack in NFC West
Part of being a Seahawks fan is hating the 49ers with a fierce, and creative, passion. It's in memes, social media rants, and a Seahawks fan-favorite nickname, "the forty-whiners."
It makes sense that 12s pick on the 49ers a little harder than other teams, even within their own division. For many years, the 49ers have been their most competitive NFC West rival, kicking the Seahawks down to a Wild Card slot in 2019 and going on to win the NFC Championship. While Seattle won its November 2019 game against San Francisco, it lost their December 2019 matchup. In both games, there was a point differential of five. That's because the biggest rules in divisional matchups is that they are always tough and impacted by the unexpected. But this year might be different for the West Coast foes, as the Seahawks won by 10 on Sunday in a 37-27 victory. Those 37 points on offense, plus the fact that the defense held the 49ers to a single touchdown until the fourth quarter, signify good things to come for Pete Carroll's team as they tackle divisional opponents this season.
Interestingly enough, the Seahawks weren't the only ones to have Week 8 divisional victories with significant postseason implications. In addition to the Seahawks-49ers brawl, the Steelers beat the Ravens for dominance in the AFC North. A competitive game until the last second, this Steelers win makes them the last remaining undefeated NFL team at 7-0, strengthening their position as a formidable AFC opponent in the playoffs. A surprise Packers loss to the Vikings doesn't help Minnesota much, but it does keep the Packers from getting a divisional lead over the Bears, as both teams are currently tied at five wins. While it doesn't change the playoff picture much at this point, the Bills won a close game over the Patriots, putting the Bills at 6-2 and the Patriots at 2-5. More than anything, this is a dent in the armor that has kept New England atop the AFC East for decades: it's their first loss at home to the Bills since 2011, and it's the first time they've been 2-5 since 2000. And for what it's worth, the Eagles beat the Cowboys, crowning them the current divisional leader at… three wins.
In the NFC West, a 49ers victory this week would have markedly shifted the power dynamic in the division. It would have put the Seahawks at 5-2, tying them with the Cardinals, Rams, and 49ers in the win column. Because the Cardinals just beat the Seahawks, that loss and a hypothetical one to the 49ers could have factored into who wins the division if it came down to tie-breakers. This win wasn't just one over the 49ers - it was one that put the Seahawks ahead of the pack in 2020's most competitive NFL division.
Watching the first drive of the game, things looked grim for the Seahawks as they faced the defending NFC champions. After a sack and two short passes to DK Metcalf, the Seahawks were forced to punt after only a minute and a half on offense. Fortunately, the Seahawks defense came in clutch in this crucial game. After a season of complaints and a few mid-season acquisitions, the Seahawks finally put pressure on 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Coming out blitzing aggressively, the Seahawks defensive line brutalized the 49ers offense as they generated an interception, a fumble, and three sacks. While the final stats state that the 49ers offense accumulated 351 total yards, the Seahawks defense held the 49ers to just 117 yards and seven points until the fourth quarter - the 49ers essentially did nothing while the Seahawks built a 23-point lead. Despite a comfortable lead, it was difficult to watch the 49ers score 20 points in the final quarter - but this is Ken Norton Jr., not Dan Quinn.
In what can be characterized as an alarming form of prevent defense, the Seahawks allowed a flurry of short passes in the last few defensive drives. While they still applied pressure on the line and stopped the run, mid-range passes were easy to snag and Norton's squad showed little resistance. However, the 49ers weren't able to pick up big yardage on deep passes very often, so backup Nick Mullins' had to primarily dink and dunk them to the end zone, ultimately keeping them from overcoming the huge deficit.
If such a dominant win over the 49ers is surprising, it shouldn't be. It's no secret that they haven't been themselves this season, and they might just have the most injury-decimated roster in the NFL. Garoppolo might be out for the season with an ankle injury, George Kittle joined him on injured reserve, Raheem Mostert has been on injured reserve, the running back lineup changes weekly, and Nick Bosa is out for the year with an ACL tear - they've already lost many of the best players on their team. While the Seahawks are missing Jamal Adams and relegated running back duties to fourth-string rookie DeeJay Dallas, the majority of their offense and defense is still intact, making them one of the most complete - and fortunate - NFL teams injury-wise.
Shocking or not, the Seahawks' resounding win bodes well for a team that's 1-1 in a neck-and-neck divisional race. While divisional matchups can always go either way, the fact that the Seahawks won convincingly this week may be a sign of divisional dominance over the Rams and in Cardinals/49ers rematches.
