For the first time in the Pete Carroll era, the Seattle Seahawks have lost four-straight games. For the first time in franchise history, the Seahawks have lost five-straight games to the San Francisco 49ers. The latest was a 28-16 defeat in Santa Clara.
Such is the state of the now 6-7 Seahawks, who are squarely on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs.
Seattle is left still searching for answers, especially as the Philadelphia Eagles come to town next Monday night. But here are the top takeaways from their demoralizing loss to the 49ers:
There is still a sizeable gap between the Seahawks and 49ers
When the 49ers swept the Seahawks 3-0 last year, including two brutal blowout games, Seattle spent the offseason building to close the gap. Acquisitions on both sides of the ball had many (including yours truly) that they had accomplished their task. Well, now the hay is in the barn, and the gap couldn’t be wider between these two teams.
San Francisco beat the Seahawks twice this year and outscored them 59-29. Only one quarter out of the eight total did Seattle manage to lead the 49ers, and it did not last long.
It is incredibly demoralizing to know despite strong moves in free agency, the draft, and trade deadline, both teams don’t even appear to belong on the same field together.
Drew Lock played admirably
When it was announced Geno Smith was not going to play, and Drew Lock would get the call, I cannot say there was much enthusiasm for the former Broncos starter. But Lock played about as well as expected against the best team in the NFL on short notice.
Lock completed 22-of-31 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. However, one of those interceptions came on a desperation heave on 4th down and the ball was hit before release.
By no means is Lock the answer in Seattle long term, but his play gave encouragement that the Seahawks offense might still be viable if Smith is out longer than one week.
The Jamal Adams era needs to come to an end
I think it is safe to say Jamal Adams can be added alongside Jimmy Graham and Percy Harvin to the list of high profile splash trades the Seahawks made that never quite worked out. Sure, in his first season, Adams made a name for himself as a pass rusher, recording 9.5 sacks in 2020. But since then, it has been underwhelming play or season-ending injuries.
Adams has been once again underwhelming, but now, frustration is no longer limited to the field. His week-long drama by insulting a reporter’s wife dominated the headlines in Seattle, and he has been unable to back it up on the field. Adams is a liability in both the run game and pass game.
Deebo runs past Jamal Adams for the long TD. pic.twitter.com/y0hUCGY2ow
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) December 10, 2023
The ground attack is still stuck in neutral
The lifeblood of the Seahawks offense is running the football. It is their core identity. But right now, they cannot get anything going. Kenneth Walker III returned to the lineup, but did not make much of an impact. He rushed eight times for 21 yards, and only had 33 yards in the air.
Rookie Zach Charbonnet led the team in rushing with 44 yards on nine carries. The problem here is the Seahawks were not down big and the team had to abandon the run entirely. They were in this one, but still could not get anything going. Yes, it was the 49ers, but if they can’t make their attack two dimensional, they did not have much of a chance.
