The 49ers took control of the NFC West, leaving the Seattle Seahawks in the dust. After this performance, just a winning record would be a bonus. The Hawks showed signs of life, but not nearly soon enough to make any difference on Thanksgiving night.
The Seahawks were completely dominated in the first half of this game. It's very hard to recall that this defense could actually stop the run earlier this year. The Seattle defense bore no resemblance to their earlier incarnation over the first 30 minutes of the game. The Hawks offense was equally dismal, equally inept. I think it's safe to say that the Niners 148 to 0 advantage in yardage for the first quarter was bad.
The onslaught continued in the second quarter, led by Christian McCaffrey, but at least Seattle showed some signs of life. San Francisco only gained 77 yards in the quarter, while the home team managed 56 yards. Unfortunately, the Niners rolled up the score in that stanza and turned a manageable 7-3 deficit into a 24-3 smackdown.
The Seahawks came out in the second half and looked like a completely different team. Maybe Pete Carroll handed out a piece of gum to everyone; who knows? They held the Niners to 47 yards while rolling for 101 of their own. Seattle outscored the Franciscans 10-0, and it appeared we had a game. Sadly, we did not, as the 49ers reversed the trend and were in control the rest of the way, coasting to a 31-13 win.
The Seattle Seahawks had too many duds on both lines to contend
I believe it's safe to say that when your line allows six sacks, they weren't exactly doing their job. One of those sacks was on Geno Smith, as he simply took too long to find a receiver. But for the most part, the line let him down. His best plays consistently came when he rolled away from the Niners pressure. In fact, he had Seattle's longest run of the night at 11 yards.
There weren't exactly opening holes for Zach Charbonnet, either. He averaged just 3.4 yards per carry on the night. So, no turkey legs for the offensive line on the night. Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth made the point several times that Seahawks tackle Jason Peters is the oldest player in the league. The rest of the line played like they were twice his age.
The defensive line gets no love, either. Leonard Williams had a pair of quarterback hits, and Jarran Reed got a hand on the pass that eventually wound up in the hands of Jordyn Brooks, but that was it for this unit. Niners QB Brock Purdy practically had time to grab a taco at El Camion after the snap on most plays. And the 169 yards rushing the Hawks surrendered was largely because Christian McCaffrey and his pals could have driven one of those food trucks through the holes the 49ers opened on play after play. Defensive line, no turkey for you, either.