5 winners and 1 loser from Seahawks huge Week 11 victory over 49ers

A loss in this game would have put the Seattle Seahawks at 4-6 at the bottom of the NFC West. The win puts them within reach of taking the lead next week. This was a team win, no doubt. But it doesn't happen without these five winners. And even the "loser" came through often enough.

It might be a stretch to say the Hawks absolutely had to have this win. A loss would have put them two games back in the division, true. But with seven games left, three of those in the NFC West, they could still make a run. But this win means far more to Seattle mentally than it does in the standings. The Hawks defeated the Niners for the first time in seven tries. They also played like they knew what defense looked like for the first time in weeks.

None of that happens without several players coming up big. Jonathan Hankins, of all people, had the Seahawks' only interception of the game. Kenneth Walker II picked up three key first downs and scored a touchdown that put Seattle ahead in the third quarter. He even moved the chains on a critical fourth-and-one play to keep a drive alive in the fourth. It's not his fault he wasn't given the chance again later in the drive when the Hawks had two chances to keep the drive going.

The Seattle Seahawks would have lost without these key players

Winner: Geno Smith

Yes, I know he threw another bizarrely bad interception. At the time, it looked as if Smith had lost the game for the Hawks. Happily, he shook it off and led the team on the game-winning drive with ease. Tim Booth of the Seattle Times wrote that it was Smith's best drive of his Seahawks career. He added the disclaimer that he might have been a bit biased as it just happened, but he's not far off, if at all.

The interception looked a lot like those awful picks he threw against Buffalo. This didn't look like a case of his receiver running the wrong route. He was scrambling and overthrew his man by five yards. And as bad as that throw was, he threw dimes on the final winning drive. Smith was seven of eight for 54 yards and looked as sharp as ever.

More importantly, he remembered that at one point in camp, he posted the fastest time on the team. Geno Smith took off and kicked in the afterburners, scoring the winning touchdown with just 12 seconds on the clock. That is how you win football games.

Winner: Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon has come under fire this season for not continuing the arc of his stellar rookie campaign. But he isn't that far off, really. He broke up 10 passes and had one interception last year, with a passer rating allowed of 87.6. That's all per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This season, Spoon has broken up three passes and has zero picks. But his passer rating allowed isn't much higher at 90.7, and he's played less at his best position, the slot.

Back in the slot, Spoon came through repeatedly in this game. No play was bigger than his tipped pass that turned into the Jonathan Hankins sky-high spectacular. I'm not sure if the rumors are true, but Hankins has been reportedly invited to reboot a 90s comedy classic. Only this time it will be called "Big Men Can't Jump." Regardless of that silliness, Witherspoon came up even bigger in this win.

Winner: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

I don't know, 12s, you tell me. Are 10 catches on 11 targets any good? With every week, JSN is looking more and more like he was worth every ounce of draft capital the Seahawks used to take him with the 20th overall pick last season. The memory of Geno Smith consoling him on the sidelines of the Week 3 game in 2023 sticks with me. He told JSN - well, see for yourself what he said:

It may have taken some time, but Smith was right. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best, at least in some ways. He leads the Seattle wide receivers in catch rate, his 69.8 percent actually ahead of Tyler Lockett's 64.3. He also leads in receptions per game at 6.0, just ahead of DK Metcalf's 5.3 mark. San Francisco had no answers for him. He had four of the Seahawks' seven receptions on the game-winning drive. As with so many others, Seattle doesn't win this game without him.

Winner: Ernest Jones IV

Speaking of winners... man, is this cat good or what? Yes, your middle linebacker better be making a lot of tackles. But 13 tackles is a lot. Yes, it turns out the move from Tyrel Dodson was the right one, even if the timing was weird. I can't say enough about how much Jones has improved the Seahawks' defense. This game proved it more than any other.

You may recall that the Hawks weren't that great against the Niners last time. Doubters may say, that San Francisco was playing without George Kittle this time. Well, that's true. But in Week 6, the 49ers absolutely crushed the Hawks without Christian McCaffrey. When your team allows 228 yards rushing to the second and third-string running backs, you've got serious issues. This time, Seattle held the Niners running back to 92 yards. That doesn't happen without Ernest Jones IV in the middle. This guy is the future of the Seahawks.

Loser: Offensive line

I know, as I mentioned elsewhere, Bob Condotta gave the Seahawks O-line a B grade for their performance. I freely admit that Mr. Condotta knows more about football than I do, and no doubt has since birth. Condotta is an excellent writer, and I value his opinions more than anyone since the passing of the icon himself, John Clayton.

I just don't see it this time. Was the line better with the return of Abe Lucas? Yes. Were they better with the promotion of Olu Oluwatimi? I'd say yes again. But it's not like they could play much worse. I'm not sure how a unit that allowed four sacks, four tackles for a loss, and seven pressures earns that grade.

The same unit that couldn't get any push to gain a yard for their quarterback or running back on two tries. No, the offensive line still needs help. I expect Lucas to be much better with another week under his belt, the same as Oluwatimi. But just because they weren't gawdawful doesn't mean they were good.

Winner: Mike Macdonald

For a while this season, it was hard to tell if Macdonald was in over his head. After every loss, we heard the same mantra repeated. Week after week, we heard things like "We're going to get there" and "We've got the guys and the resolve to make it happen." when Macdonald spoke with the media. The Seahawks won their next game, then were demolished by the Bills and burned themselves repeatedly in a loss to the Rams. After every loss, we got the same quotes.

But in the midst of it, Mike Macdonald and John Schneider were making changes. Jerome Baker was out and Ernest Jones IV was in. Josh Jobe was trusted to be the next man up at cornerback to get Witherspoon back to his best position. Dodson was cut loose so Tyrice Knight could shine. And maybe most important of all, Macdonald trusted Geno Smith to get the job done despite his gaffs.

Now Macdonald has the Seahawks right back in the thick of it. A win over the Cards in Week 12 will put Seattle back in first in the NFC West. Looks like Mike Macdonald is the right guy for the job after all, doesn't it, 12s.

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