A Grip on Sports: The Seahawk defense shows once again in the 13-3, NFC West-deciding win over San Francisco, it can win crucial games without much help from anyone

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Is it OK to make an assumption? My dad would say no, I’m sure. He used to rail at me when I did, breaking the word “assume” into three sections to show me the error of my ways. But today? I can assume you watched the Seahawks’ defense overcome every obstacle in its way last night, right?

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• If not, let me quickly get you up to speed. Seattle won. The final score was 13-3. That matters, as the win lifted the Hawks to a 14-3 record, the NFC West title and earned them home-field advantage throughout their NFC playoff run.

But that’s just part of the story.

The 49ers were at home. They were riding a three-game offensive streak of excellence, scoring 127 points on almost 1,400 yards. They were 12-4 and knew a win would allow them to spend the entire playoffs at home.

Their punter had most of December off. Quarterback Brock Purdy was Mr. Relevant again. Coach Mike Shanahan was wearing his Genuis jacket.

And none of it mattered. Not against a Seattle defense that, pardon me, lowered the boom over and over.

The Seahawks’ offense ran for more yards (180) than San Francisco could muster in total (173). Seattle left more points on the field (up to 13, depending on your assumption of the empty first possession) than the 49ers had first downs (nine). And Shanahan was caught on more “oh, crud” shots by the ESPN/ABC cameras than Mike Macdonald was shown smiling.

And the Hawks’ second-year coach actually smiled a lot. His team did as well, especially after, in a loud, smoky lockerroom. 

Why not? There was a lot to smile about.

Heck, the defense, led by rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, Pro Bowl corner Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Williams and about a dozen others, even was able to overcome the offense wasting all those chances. The first one was all on Sam Darnold’s shoulders. A miss of an open Zach Charbonnet, which would have been a first-drive-capping touchdown, resulted in a bad sack and no points. The next couple rested on Jason Myers right foot, as he pushed a couple field goals right. But, hey, the second one, hit the upright dead center. From 26 yards.

It didn’t matter Saturday night. It may sometime during the next few weeks.

The defense is on a historic roll. Macdonald and his staff have them in the right places at the right times. They are Super Bowl champion good. But Darnold and the offense have to chip in as much or more than they did in this one.

Is a consistent 20 points without a turnover – the only one last night was crucial, Drake Thomas interception to stymie San Francisco’s best drive – too much to ask?  

We’ll assume not.

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WSU: The Seahawks’ success is must-see TV. And draws our attention from the big-deal going-ons on the Palouse. Thankfully, Greg Woods has been keeping track. He delves into where the transfer portal has been hitting the Cougars the hardest, up front defensively. And looks at how Kirby Moore might address it. … The first portal pickup? That would be a defensive back. From just over the hills in Oregon. Greg has this story on former OSU cornerback Jalil Tucker saying he’s headed to Pullman. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has his mailbag in the Mercury News. … John Canzano uses a story to look ahead to the CFP semifinals. … Oregon has the rematch with Indiana – the Ducks lost at home – but it is not the same UO team that will be in Atlanta. … Colorado has lost a bunch of transfers who shined elsewhere. … California is losing one of its better defensive players. … The new Utah staff is coming together, despite the defections to Michigan. … Arizona State may have found its new quarterback. … Arizona could have used a faster start in the Holiday Bowl. … Utah State filled a spot on its coaching staff.

• In basketball news,the Washington men are headed back on the Big Ten road, hoping to improve their results. … Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry apologized for his outburst Friday after the loss to Cal. … UCLA coach Mick Cronin would like to have seen some outbursts during the loss at Iowa. … Utah State won again, this time over San Jose State. … Colorado opened Big 12 play with a road win over Arizona State. … Top-ranked Arizona had no trouble at Utah. … Boise State rallied from a 24-point deficit but still fell at San Diego State. … Colorado State got past Grand Canyon. … The Utah women topped eighth-ranked TCU on the road. … The best matchup of the day was not the best game. Fourth-ranked UCLA rolled over No. 17 USC. … No. 21 Texas Tech overpowered Arizona. 

Gonzaga: Back when BYU was in the West Coast Conference, there were no Sunday games. That day off is a thing of the past. The Bulldog men will host Loyola Marymount tonight. Theo Lawson has the usual, a preview of the contest and the key matchup. … Theo also has the usual look back at what happened with the overtime win against visiting Seattle U. If you are interested, we would love to point out the Lions have one thing in common with the Redhawks. They are also a more-than three touchdown underdog. 

EWU and Idaho: The two local Big Sky teams opened conference play in Moscow yesterday. And put on a show. Peter Harriman has everything you could want to know about the Don Monson tribute game, won by the Vandals 84-81. There were a lot of highlights, though none more impressive than Kolton Mitchell’s 32-point performance in the win. … We can also pass along a Geoff Crimmins’ photo gallery from the contest. … The Idaho women traveled up U.S. Highway 95 and muscled their way past host Eastern 69-63. Dan Thompson was in Cheney and has this game story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Money Williams was, well, money in the second half, scoring 31 points and leading the Montana men to a win over Northern Arizona. … Idaho State blew a large lead to lose at home to Portland State. … The Montana women are 0-2 in conference after a loss in Arizona. … Idaho State won on the road. … In football news, Montana State will face Illinois State on Monday in Nashville, trying to pick up a second FCS title – though it was called a 1-AA crown back in 1984 – to go with the Bobcats’ two lower-division titles (1976 and 1956).  

Preps: We can pass along a roundup of Saturday’s basketball action. … There is also this story on the offseason pursuits of former Central Valley star Lexie Hull. Of course, it involves basketball.

Whitworth: The Pirates’ Stephen Behil hit a jumper as time expired to lift the Whitworth men to an 81-79 win at home.

Chiefs: Penticton’s first year in the WHL has been more successful than one would probably expect from an expansion franchise. As Dave Nichols illustrates in this game story from the Vees’ easy 5-1 win over host Spokane last night.

Seahawks: We start, as we most often do, with Dave Boling’s thoughts about the showdown victory. Did you know the Hawks have been the NFC’s top seed three years and advanced to the Super Bowl each time? Can they make it four-for-four? Dave thinks it’s highly possible. … So does the Times’ Matt Calkins. … We linked Bob Condotta’s game story in the Times above – along with a whole bunch of others – and do it again here in the S-R. … There are always grades. And takeaways. Impressions too. … The coverage from the Bay Area? Some of it is above. Some of it is here.

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• Another win yesterday? Our dinner based on the opponent. Kim’s clam chowder was perfect. A little too hot at first but the cooling-down time allowed me to enjoy the chicken sandwich. It was akin to the ones Tyler used to buy at a Bay Area sandwich shop back in college. If there is a rematch in the playoffs, I’m going to lobby for a dinner rematch as well. Until later …