Dave Boling: Seahawks clinch No. 1 seed and can now be considered favorites to reach Super Bowl
A sure identifier of a young team on the rise, and nearing the top of their game: The Seattle Seahawks played with so much confidence against San Francisco on Saturday night that it bordered on audacity.
It’s the way championship teams look.
From the first play, there wasn’t a moment Saturday night when any Seahawk player seemed concerned they’d get beaten.
Playing fearlessly and aggressively, the Seahawks blew a few scoring opportunities but still defeated the Niners at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara by a score of 13-3.
Remember, this was a San Francisco team that scored 42 last week to beat the Chicago Bears, and 48 the previous game to top Indianapolis.
Against the Hawks, they eked out three points, with one, solitary, rushing first down.
The Niners had won six straight and were playing in front of their home crowd with the NFC West Division title at stake, along with the playoff bye week that comes with the No. 1 seed in the conference.
But it was never in doubt. In fact, the margin might have easily stretched to 20 for the Seahawks, who collected the fourth No. 1 seed in the franchise’s 50-year history. The previous three (2005, 2013, 2014) all capitalized on the homefield advantage and advanced to the Super Bowl.
On Saturday night, getting the 14th win of the season, this Seahawks squad looked as if it deserves to be favored for the upcoming Super Bowl, which will be contested on the Niners’ home field.
As it has all season, the Seattle defense led the way, and just seemed to dare San Francisco to try to score on them. It meant that the offense could afford to play outside common logic at times. They knew if they stalled, the defense would make it right.
Try to run against them? Hawk defenders seemed insulted that you’d bother. Catch a short pass? Better protect your ribs. It was smothering, sideline to sideline.
Even scoring just 13 points, this was one of the most complete Seahawk wins of the season. At times, they’d been unpredictable and inconsistent. But even their three losses this season were by only nine points combined.
They notched wins that made no statistical sense, giving up almost 600 yards to the Rams in a home win, and overcame deficits that had been historically insurmountable. They gave the ball away more than 30 other teams, but still posted the NFL’s best record.
And they venture into hostile territories with impunity, now being a remarkable 15-2 in road games in coach Mike Macdonald’s first two regular seasons.
Their quarterback, Sam Darnold, with 20 individual turnovers, gave the ball away more than 19 NFL teams. But they ended up scoring a franchise record 483 points.
Unlike some recent games when the Hawks came out sluggish offensively, they ran over the Niners, all the way to the 1-yard line on the opening drive. Instead of pounding it in, they ran a play-action pass and Darnold missed an open Zach Charbonnet and was sacked for an 11-yard loss.
So, what the heck, let’s compound that by deciding to go for it on fourth-and-goal at the 4 rather than getting three points on the opening drive.
Darnold missed Cooper Kupp in the end zone and it surely had to give the Niners an emotional lift.
The defense came to the rescue, as it does, and the offense turned a short-field drive into a 27-yard scoring run by Charbonnet. That TD, 10 minutes into the game, was all they needed. They had already outgained the Niners 92 yards to 7.
Shortly before half, after the Hawks had made and missed field goal tries, with a 10-0 lead, the Niners finally started clicking. But young stud defenders hammered a pair of the Niners’ best players with statement tackles.
Quarterback Brock Purdy, under pressure all night, tried to sneak a screen pass to tight end George Kittle, but it was sniffed out by rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who brought down Kittle for a loss of 6. Nothing doing.
Shortly afterward, another Niner All-Pro, Christian McCaffrey took in a short pass and was absolutely flattened by Seahawks three-time Pro Bowl corner Devon Witherspoon.
Another Seahawk play that seemed to snatch the spirit from the Niners came in the fourth quarter, when Darnold appeared to be bitten by the turnover bug, again. Tripped by a retreating lineman, Darnold stumbled and missed the handoff to Charbonnet. Charbonnet recovered but it set up a third-and-17 with enough time for the Niners to make a rally.
Third-and-17, sure, no need for a deep pass. We’ll just pitch it to Kenneth Walker III to the right sideline. Walker raced 19 yards for the first down.
Darnold then hit star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a 19-yard completion that was 10 feet in the air and several feet behind JSN. Two huge plays. Highlights by young stars. The Hawks then connected on a field goal and the game was over.
Still fighting at the end, Purdy was, by then, bloodied from the Seattle punishment. He got pinched between Hawk rushers Derick Hall and Leonard Williams, and was flattened. Although still a young and talented quarterback, Purdy was beaten up, and he seemed to symbolize the entire Niners’ team.
Purdy and the Niners (12-5) will have to go on the road in the wild-card round, while the Seahawks return home with a week off before returning in the divisional round at Lumen Field.
They could use the rest before making a Super Bowl push. They earned it.