Seattle Seahawks: 5 takeaways from win versus 49ers
By Jake Luppino
“It’s put up or shut up time”
After the defeat to the Cardinals where the Seahawks defense let up multiple scoring drives late in the 4th, Bobby Wagner knew the defense had to be better. In one of his weekly pressers, he had said “it’s put up or shut up time”. Against the 49ers, the defense showed up and showed out as they absolutely dominated. At the forefront, was the best linebacker in all of football, Bobby Wagner.
Wagner led the way recording 6 tackles, 5 assisted tackles, 11 combo tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 quarterback hits and 2 sacks. Wagner was heavily involved in the blitzes and he delivered. The one constant in the NFL is that defense wins championships. We saw it last year as the Chiefs defense got better as the year went on. We are seeing it now with the Seahawks as if they want to win the Super Bowl, the defense is going to need to show up.
Bobby Wagner is one of the most underrated leaders in the NFL. After the transition of power in Seattle when the Legion of Boom dispersed and the keys of the franchise were given to Russell Wilson, Wagner became the leader on the defensive side of the ball. Not only he does lead verbally, but he plays with great effort that is contagious.
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When your defense is struggling and you want to turn things around, you play with a physicality and effort that is uncanny. In the win over the 49ers, the Seahawks defense was extremely physical. The 49ers are known to be a heavy rushing team and they were held to 52 rushing yards. George Kittle is one of the best tight ends in all of football. In the win, he was held to just two catches.
With the backs against the wall in a crucial divisional game, Bobby Wagner rallied this defense together as they displayed pure dominance for three and a half hours.