The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers 13-3 in Week 18, but the game wasn't really that close. In fact, Seattle deserves some criticism for not winning by at least two touchdowns. Kicker Jason Myers missed two field goals, one an easy one.
Because the game wasn't extremely close, especially midway through the fourth quarter, San Francisco needed to create its own breaks. That meant stopping Seattle from getting splash run plays on 3rd-and-long. One play in the third quarter typified the game, and 49ers general manager John Lynch had the best reaction to it.
Leading 10-3 with 3:48 left in the quarter, the Seahawks faced a 3rd-and-17, and a pass attempt seemed unlikely. Why risk a potential turnover when Seattle could simply punt and allow Mike Macdonald's elite defense to keep shutting San Francisco down?
49ers general manager John Lynch has the best reaction to a great Seattle Seahawks play
Instead, Darnold tossed the ball to his right to running back Kenneth Walker, who was able to run through the 49ers' defense for 19 yards and a first down. The third-down conversion shouldn't have been so easy, and John Lynch knew it.
Rarely does an executive show so much emotion or frustration as Lynch did on the play. Broadcast viewers couldn't hear him, but we didn't need to. His physical expression said everything. He was aghast and angry, and it couldn't have been clearer.
John Lynch couldn't believe what he just watched when the 49ers' defense allowed a first down on third-and-17 😬 pic.twitter.com/NFb2xfsTgv
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) January 4, 2026
That wouldn't have been the only thing that upset Lynch, of course. While he likely understood that his offense, which had been operating at a high level entering the game, might struggle against an elite Seattle Seahawks defense, the 49ers' run defense was atrocious.
Seattle ran for 180 yards, and the two running backs, Walker and Zach Charbonnet, combined for 171 of those, as well as averaging 5.2 yards per carry. By the end of the fourth quarter, the Seahawks appeared to run for at least seven yards a carry with ease.
San Francisco looked like a tired team. Seattle appeared to be fresher as the game grew old. The Seahawks are clearly an ascending team, and potentially peaking just in time for the playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks, in fact, could be trending toward winning a Super Bowl, one that has eluded John Lynch in his time while being a very good general manager for the San Francisco 49ers. Should Seattle win the Super Bowl, Lynch might have the same reaction he had when watching Kenneth Walker pick up a 3rd-and-17 in Week 18.