The Seattle Seahawks were ready to play on Saturday night. Rashid Shaheed set the tone with a kickoff returned for a touchdown on the very first play of the game, and the defense forced two turnovers on the San Francisco 49ers' first couple of drives.
Kyle Shanahan's team never truly had a chance to get back in the game, not even after climbing back from 17-0 to 17-6. Mike Macdonald's defense was just faster, more physical, and ready for everything the Niners threw at them.
That's why, following the loss, Coach Shanahan had no choice but to tip his hat to the Seahawks' defense. When asked why his team had struggled so much to get going in the past couple of games vs. Seattle, he said what everybody already knew: The defense is just too good.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan praises the Seattle Seahawks' defense
"Because they've got a real good defense," Shanahan said, per the Seahawks' official website. "I liked how we came to play the first half a lot more. I thought we were much more ready. I thought we were moving the ball. But when you get stopped on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1, nothing counts for it. And the next time up, we had a turnover with the fumble. And then when we got stopped on downs at the beginning of the third quarter, then it was out of hand."
Shanahan explained that the context of the game forced them to go away from the run, which had been their most efficient weapon all year long. That helped the Seahawks' defense focus on the passing game, thus limiting their ability to make some big plays and taking the element of surprise away.
The Seahawks held the Niners to 236 total yards (128 passing). They stopped them on fourth down three times, forced three turnovers, and disrupted their offensive rhythm from start to finish, holding Brock Purdy to 15-of-27 passing for 140 yards, no touchdowns, and one pick. He also had a fumble.
Even with all the injuries, the Niners averaged 25.7 points per game this season, the tenth-most in the league. Also, their 244.5 passing yards per game ranked fifth in the league, which speaks volumes about how dominant the Seahawks were and how prepared Coach Mike Macdonald had them for this game.
Moreover, having the defense step up and set the tone also helped take plenty of pressure off Sam Darnold's shoulders. That may also be crucial ahead of the NFC Championship Game, given that he's been dealing with an oblique injury over the past couple of days, as well as still trying to shake the narrative others have written about him that he can't win the big games.