Grading the Seahawks after the 49ers Game:

Dec 23, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice (18) reacts after the Seattle Seahawks scored a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the 1st half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated San Francisco 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

As if we thought this 2012 Season couldn’t get any better, after back to back scoring 50 points plus, the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers in decisive fashion 42-13. The Seahawks were able to beat the 49ers at their own game, Toughness. This game was over after the 1st Quarter, all of the national media had built this game up to be the game of the week and 2 minutes into the 2nd Quarter the Hawks were up 21-0. As a Seahawks fan you cannot help but get excited for what the future might hold and it gets even more exciting listening to all of the East Coast Biased media finally seeing how good Russell Wilson and company truly are.

Offense A+

This game was dominated by Russell Wilson, it was easy to forget or not even notice that Marshawn Lynch had 111 yards, 1 rushing touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown. Wilson’s numbers do not jump off the page but if you watched the game he was not overly pressured consistently throughout the game (although 49ers beast Justin Smith did not play). When the 49ers did get pressure on him he stepped up in the pocket or ran around with his eyes downfield looking to throw at all times. Wilson even ran around 1 time on a play that ended up lasting 17 seconds. His ability to move around in the pocket is one of his greatest strengths. In a typical December in Seattle where the rain continuously fell, Russell Wilson stood out among many stars by throwing 4 touchdowns.

The Seahawks Wide Receivers did not have huge numbers but they were surprisingly sure handed given the conditions. Doug Baldwin had 2 huge touchdown catches, and Sidney Rice again proved that he is the sure handed possession receiver the Hawks need on 3rd down. Anthony McCoy again had a touchdown as he is quickly becoming a huge target as the number 2 Tight End.

The Seahawks also were able to limit their penalties which have been a huge issue this season. The Offensive line has repeatedly killed drives with inopportune holding and false start penalties but they were almost nonexistent in this game. As a team the Seahawks only had 4 penalties for 45 yards.

Defense B+

The Seahawks had a bend don’t break attitude for this game. They allowed 313 yards and it seemed as though Colin Kaepernick was able to move up and down the field but the Seahawks Defense put the brakes on the 49ers drives once they got into the redzone.

The Seahawks secondary or the Legion of Boom as they are known; hit the 49ers hard right out of the gate. Vernon Davis left with a concussion on what appeared to be a clean hard hit from Kam Chancellor. Richard Sherman was all over the field as usual and he also had an interception in the end zone while guarding Randy Moss, Sherman appeared to bait Kaepernick into throwing the ball before flashing in front of Moss and snatching the ball.

The Seahawks were able to get a huge drive killing sack on Kaepernick. Although, this defense is predicated on speed and they need to start getting to the Quarterback with more regularity. The 49ers used a lot of short quick passes to not allow the Seahawks to use their Defensive lines speed.

Jeremy Lane made his second straight start at right corner in place of Brandon Browner (suspended) and Walter Thurmond (injured). Lane is a smaller corner (6ft) than Browner and so he is not able to use the bump and run quite as regularly but his smaller frame allowed him to stay with the quicker 49ers Receivers.

Special Teams B+

The special teams did not have a major role in this game. Jon Ryan only had to punt the ball 1 time. Steven Hauschka had zero field goal attempts and 6 extra points.

The major Special Team’s contribution came from (Big) Red Bryant as he blocked a short chip shot David Akers field goal early in the 2nd quarter. Richard Sherman picked the ball up and returned it for a Seahawks touchdown that seemed to take the wind out the 49ers.

Wrap Up

All in all this was a huge Win for the Seattle Seahawks. This was a Nationally televised game that showed the World that the Seahawks are no longer just a great Defensive team. In the words ESPN Merril Hoge “Seattle fans should be very excited about your Team, because Teams win Championships.” The Seahawks are no longer going to be unknown, the league is taking notice. The Seahawks are going into week 17 knowing that they are in the playoffs and they just need to keep their momentum because they are the hottest if not 1 of the hottest teams in the NFL. #InRusswetrust (Russell Wilson)