Seattle Seahawks Banking On Offensive Momentum Carrying Into San Francisco 49ers Rematch
Losing each of their previous four games against the San Francisco 49ers, including a 31-13 defeat at Lumen Field on Thanksgiving night, several themes have emerged for the Seattle Seahawks that have prevented them from finding the win column versus their most hated NFC West rivals.
On defense, the failure to stop the run and prevent explosive pass plays has been a major problem. On special teams, untimely turnovers such as DeeJay Dallas' muffed punt two weeks ago have gifted the 49ers great field position time and time again. But most notably, points on offense have been hard to come by for the Seahawks in a rivalry that has become quite one-sided of late.
Since the start of the 2022 season, Seattle has scored a grand total of three offensive touchdowns in 16 quarters of play against San Francisco, with two of those scoring plays coming in the second quarter of an eventual 41-23 playoff loss in January. Two weeks ago, Geno Smith and company only could muster a pair of Jason Myers field goals and never found the end zone.
But as the Seahawks prepare for another challenging matchup against the 49ers in Santa Clara, coach Pete Carroll hopes to see a 35-point explosion in Dallas last week translate to offensive success in Sunday's must-win rematch, starting with extending drives consistently on third down.
“There was a lot of positives in that game, and our ability to convert on third down, you could see. Look at the difference in the game. It was a fantastic start," Carroll told reporters on Wednesday. "I think we were (nine of 14), which is great stuff. It allowed us to have long drives, sustaining opportunities with the ball, all of those things. That’s a real positive for us. We set our sights on producing a really good outing last week and it showed up, and everything that we tried to get done, basically got done."
As Carroll pointed out, at least for one week, the Seahawks were able to curb a season-long issue converting on third downs in Dallas. Even though his team wound up on the wrong end of a 41-35 defeat in prime time and missed on a trio of fourth down opportunities late, moving the chains on nearly 70 percent of their third down chances obviously stands out as a major plus in the right direction after the team ranked a dismal 29th in the NFL in that category prior to the game.
Scoring five touchdowns on their first six offensive possessions, Seattle's ability to sustain drives played a vital role in the offensive onslaught. While the team rushed for just 72 yards, Zach Charbonnet toted the rock 19 times, providing enough balance to complement Smith and the passing game while opening up play action opportunities. The veteran signal caller took full advantage, throwing for 334 yards and a trio of touchdowns to DK Metcalf as the road team held a lead midway through the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium.
Meanwhile, with Abraham Lucas back in starting lineup after a 10 game absence, protection held up well for most of the game for the Seahawks against a fierce defensive line. With Smith getting the ball out quick, the Cowboys managed just five quarterback hits and the only sack came on a failed trick play with Dallas looking to throw the ball from the backfield.
Under constant duress, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith hasn't had much protection in four straight losses to the San Francisco 49ers.
© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately, pressure did get home on Seattle's final two fourth down attempts, preventing Smith from having any chance to complete a pass to extend a potential game-winning drive. But even with those misses, Carroll saw more than enough positives against an elite defense to believe the performance can be built upon and momentum can continue on the road versus the 49ers at Levis Stadium.
"It’s 1:43 left, down by a touchdown, and you got to go. It came right down to that," Carroll stated. "Just like we did in the first half, we expected to do that in second half as well, and then we got stalled in third-and-two and fourth-and-two unfortunately. It was a fantastic game in a lot of ways. A lot of respect to them, they’re a really good team. We went nose-to-nose in a good way."
For the Seahawks to have a fighter's chance against a superior opponent, protecting Smith will be the first task that must be checked off. Including registering two sacks against them last month, Nick Bosa has been a game wrecker off the edge, causing major problems with his blend of speed, power, and physicality. Inside, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead are top-10 pass rushing defensive tackles, presenting difficult assignments for Seattle's guards and center Evan Brown.
In the past four matchups between the two rivals, Seattle's offensive line has allowed at least three sacks on Smith three times, including six sacks in last month's game at Lumen Field. The group has also yielded nine or more quarterback hits three times, struggling to keep the quarterback upright regardless of where the two teams play. Those numbers will have to be trimmed to pull an upset on Sunday.
But if the return of Lucas allows that to happen and Smith does have a bit more time to operate in the pocket, as demonstrated last Thursday, the Seahawks have the weaponry on the outside to be able to do significant damage against top-tier defenses. Even slightly better protection could mean a better third down conversion rate, more running plays as a result, and a few more explosive play opportunities, which would set the team up to hang around deep into the second half.
With their playoff lives hanging in the balance after losing four of their past five, if the Seahawks are going to figure out a way to get untracked against an opponent that has dominated them for more than a calendar year, the time is now. After finally seeing the offense come to life last week in another tough road environment, Carroll and his staff will be keeping fingers crossed that explosion serves as a catalyst for better things to come, starting against their rivals on Sunday.
