5 takeaways from Seattle’s 26-23 victory over San Francisco in Week 17
The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers to improve to 12-4 on the year and complete the season sweep of the red and gold. With the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers winning their respective games, the Seahawks finished as the No. 3 seed in the NFC and will face the Los Angeles Rams for their first postseason matchup. In the meantime, here are five takeaways from this game.
San Francisco eliminates deep plays
Like several teams this season, the 49ers made sure to take away downfield passes for practically the entire game, and this played a significant factor in their defensive dominance throughout much of the contest. The Seahawks offense struggled to consistently make plays until the fourth quarter and couldn’t find ways to get around San Francisco's schemes until then. More on that later.
Defense dominates early, suffers fatigue, and wins the day
The Seahawks gave up 16 unanswered points after taking a 6-0 lead partially because the defense got tired due to being on the field for too long. The offense could not make strides which led to the defense being hung out to dry too often. However, they came up big throughout the game, especially at the end when Benson Mayowa made a strip-sack and Rasheem Green recovered it to set up a rushing touchdown by Alex Collins to put the game away. This defense has become Super Bowl-caliber and deserves all the praise in the world for their miraculous turnaround over the course of the year.
Hurry-up offense emerges late
After falling behind 16-6 in the fourth quarter, the offense finally managed a touchdown drive, which featured short to intermediate chain-moving completions. They drove 75 yards in eight plays and finished with a TD pass to Tyler Lockett, who made a diving catch in the end zone. After stopping the 49ers, the offense drove 85 yards in 14 plays and took the lead with another touchdown to Lockett on 4th and goal. This sequence of events was what Seattle needed to create momentum for the defense, who made the aforementioned strip-sack and recovery.
Tyler Lockett resurfaces
Speaking of Lockett, he came up huge in the clutch after a mostly silent second half of the season. He caught 12 passes for 90 yards and both of Russell Wilson’s touchdown passes, and they both came in crucial situations on 3rd and 4th and goal, respectively. He finishes the season with 100 receptions (passing Doug Baldwin and Bobby Engram for most in a Seahawks season) for 1,054 yards and 10 touchdowns. Another fantastic year overall for the diminutive veteran wide receiver.
Jason Myers’ missed extra point could have proven costly
Myers finishes the 2020 season perfect on field goals but missed yet another extra point in this game that would have had severe consequences had the Seahawks offense not scored that late touchdown to take the lead. In addition, he barely put the extra point for said late touchdown through the uprights. Extra points are crucial and relatively easy for NFL kickers to make, and Myers must make his attempts in the postseason whenever he gets the opportunity.
