Analysis: Handing out grades for the Seahawks’ Week 14 loss to the 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Seahawks can at least thank a soft middle section of the NFC – as well as the expanded playoff format – for their season not feeling even more precarious than it does after Sunday’s 28-16 loss to the 49ers.

The defeat was Seattle’s fourth in a row and has turned a team that entered November at 5-2 and leading the NFC West into one that is now 6-7 and for a second straight week on the outside looking in to the NFC playoff picture.

Seattle has four games left and has to win three to finish with a winning record, and probably to have a chance at the playoffs – home to the Eagles on Monday, Dec. 18, at Tennessee on Dec. 24, home to the Steelers on Dec. 31 and at Arizona on Jan. 6 or 7.

There were some moments Sunday when a win felt possible, notably during a first half that ended 14-10, and the game seemed more competitive than many thought it would be given Seattle having to suddenly go with Drew Lock at quarterback.

But at times in the second half, the 49ers seemed to just be toying with Seattle, ultimately finishing with 527 yards, the fifth-most a Pete Carroll Seahawks team has ever allowed.

On to some grades.

Quarterback

Given everything – Lock not knowing he might have to start until Thursday afternoon and not having started a game since the 2021 season – he acquitted himself well. One of his two interceptions was obviously just a desperation heave on fourth down. And even the other came when the score was 28-16 and chances seemed to need to be taken. Lock showed good agility and seemed to keep his wits about him well when plays broke down. All in all, it could have been a lot worse.

Grade: B

Running back

Seattle had its full complement of backs, and the hope was for more than 70 yards on 20 carries. Forty-six came on back-to-back runs by Zach Charbonnet in the second quarter, one on a gadget play and the other Charbonnet basically making all the yards on his own. Kenneth Walker III, back for the first time since Nov. 19, had just 21 yards on eight carries but also turned nothing into a 27-yard gain on a pass reception. In other words, the backs seemed to mostly have to do it on their own Sunday.

Grade: B-plus

Receiver

DK Metcalf seemed on his way to a big day when he had two receptions for 52 yards and a TD on the first drive. But a groin injury to 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward, who likely would have gotten most of the assignment for covering Metcalf, forced him out of the game. That seemed to turn the 49ers defense a little more staid with more zone coverage than man, which appeared to make it harder for Seattle to get the ball downfield as much – Metcalf didn’t have a catch after the first series. Tyler Lockett had six receptions on six targets for 89 yards and was big on some third downs. But Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t do as much as he has in recent weeks with 25 yards on four receptions. No other receiver had a target. And whatever the 49ers did to limit Metcalf the last two quarters, the Seahawks have to make that harder to pull off.

Grade: B-minus

Tight end

There was one great play – Lock’s 25-yard TD pass to Colby Parkinson in the fourth quarter that for a few minutes put a little bit of nervousness into the Levi’s Stadium crowd. Noah Fant also had two receptions for 35 yards, and the pass blocking on the edge seemed to hold up a little better than some might have thought.

Grade: B-minus

Offensive line

Maybe there should be two grades – one for the run blocking, which would be about a D given the overall results and Seattle’s inability to get much done there. And one for the pass blocking, which was good enough to not allow the 49ers to wreck the game. Lock was sacked just once before the fourth quarter, when he took three sacks once things became more desperate and the 49ers knew they could tee off. Maybe that should be about a B. The Seahawks, though, are going to have to run it better to make anything of this season – Seattle has been held to 68, 88, 72 and now 70 yards rushing in the current four-game losing streak. That speaks way too loudly.

Grade: C-minus

Defensive line

This felt like a really weird game for the guys up front. There were some good moments throughout, and the defense played well enough to keep Seattle in the game until the fourth quarter – which wasn’t what everyone was expecting. But then you look up, and the 49ers gained 9.9 yards per play and rushed for 173 – 101 on 22 if you take out the first 72-yard gain by Christian McCaffrey – with Brock Purdy getting enough time to throw for 368 yards, the most against Seattle this year. Just not enough impact.

Grade: D

Linebackers

Jordyn Brooks admirably returned from his sprained ankle and had six tackles, and Bobby Wagner had five, two for a loss. But like the front, San Francisco’s overall offensive numbers say way too much about how outclassed the Seattle defense was for too much of the game.

Grade: C-minus

Secondary

A really rough day for the secondary, both in terms of health – with cornerback Tre Brown unable to play and then Devon Witherspoon and Artie Burns leaving with injuries during the game itself. Witherspoon’s first quarter injury was obviously a big blow taking away the team’s best defensive playmaker and seeming to limit Seattle’s rotations in the back end, especially when coupled with Burns’ departure. But aside from that there were just too many individual breakdowns. Two that stand out are safety Jamal Adams getting beaten for a 54-yard TD catch by Deebo Samuel in the second quarter and Julian Love for a 44-yard TD catch by George Kittle in the fourth. Both appeared to be in part due to each being late to react to the play as needed. That this is the 49ers, who have been doing this to everybody, mitigates the grade some.

Grade: D

Special teams

This might have been a worse grade had San Francisco’s fake punt not been nullified by a penalty – SF punter Mitch Wishnowsky apparently just did it on his own when he saw the Seahawks pealing back. Michael Dickson had a solid day punting, though, and otherwise special teams didn’t feel like a huge factor good or bad.

Grade: B-minus

Coaching

There was what felt like a somewhat curious decision not to go for it when Seattle faced a fourth-and-2 at the 49ers’ 47 late in the second quarter, down 14-10, with Carroll explaining later he simply didn’t want to take the risk of making it too easy for the 49ers to take an even bigger lead that early in the game. There’s also the curiosity that Carroll keeps saying the 49ers aren’t doing anything the Seahawks haven’t seen before, yet obviously not being able to defend it. The blame for that can be spread wide, but has to fall quite a bit on the coaches.

Give Carroll credit for how hard the Seahawks fought in this one – even if at the end, a little too hard. The same effort delivered Sunday – with a lot better execution and fewer mistakes – might be enough to get the three wins that figure to be necessary to get to the playoffs.

Grade: C