3 Takeaways from Seahawks-49ers

A new O-line, JSN's emergence and Big Cat dominates

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It can be really enjoyable to be wrong.

In the game preview for 49ers-Seahawks, there wasn’t a lot of optimism from me. In fairness, Seattle hadn’t beaten San Francisco since 2021 and this season’s first matchup wasn’t particularly close. Since that time, Seattle shipped away their two starting linebackers and the 49ers returned Christian McCaffrey. So forgive me if I thought the Hawks would lose by double digits.

Instead, Seattle rallied out of the bye week with a gutty performance. Geno Smith silenced the doubters for at least one week while the defense looked competent for the first time in over a month. Now, the Hawks have reason to believe they can make a push with a huge home game against Arizona coming up. So what turned things around for Seattle? We give you three reasons which might just make you believe in this team again.

The Offensive Line Got Better

The return of Abraham Lucas and the ascension of Olu Oluwatimi to the starting lineup sparked the Seahawks’ offensive line. Granted, it couldn’t get much worse than what we saw the first 10 weeks of the season. In addition to the horrific guard play, center Connor Williams was actually trending down before abruptly announcing retirement. Maybe we will know someday why he retired, but it does not seem like he was 100% based on performance. After his best game of the season against Atlanta, Williams put up two disappointing games against Buffalo (48.2 offensive grade by PFF) and Los Angeles (64.5). Enter Olu. In his first start, Oluwatimi put up a 80.8 offensive grade, better than any performance by Williams this season.

In addition, Abraham Lucas solidified the right tackle spot that was a vessel of crap previously. Stone Forsythe’s best performance of the year was a 53.5 offensive grade and Michael Jerrell’s was a 50.9. This put the Hawks’ right tackle spot as easily the worst in football. Enter Abe. Lucas did not play the whole game, but recorded a 76.8 offensive grade, including a 79 run block grade. In the 18 snaps that Jerrell filled in, he actually was awesome with a 82.3 run block grade. Will this continue? Who knows? Does Seattle still have holes on the O-line? Absolutely. The guards are a mess. But we can have a little hope now.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has Arrived

It used to be that the 24 hour news cycle and social media made our attention spans shorter and our patience thinner. I actually think we can reduce that to a 12 hour or even 6 hour news cycle now. People simply have no patience or attention for anyting that develops over time. New coaches are on the hot seat before they get half way through a season. Rookies are called busts before they even become full grown men. Such is the way of our society.

If Jaxon Smith-Njigba taught us anything, it is to believe that good things can take a little time. To be clear, JSN has only been in the league for 27 games so time is relative here. And he is only 22 years old. But Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the real deal. Over the last two games, JSN recorded 24 catches for 290 yards. He has received at least six targets in six straight games and is on pace for a season of over 100 catches and 1100+ yards. Those are elite numbers in this league.

Time to Appreciate Leonard Williams

When the Seahawks traded for Leonard Williams, it would be hard to find a fan who wasn’t excited about the transaction. At age 22, Williams made the Pro Bowl. At age 26, Williams recorded 11.5 sacks and 30 QB hits in a terrific season with the Giants. Williams was good with the Jets and Giants, but maybe not great due to injuries and inconsistency. However, the Hawks needed more talent and Leonard Williams was just that. But I don’t think we realized how good Leonard Williams really was and some people still don’t get it.

Williams demands double teams much of the time and is a relentless worker. While his stats don’t always show his impact, the film does. He blows up plays before they materialize and is simply dominant for much of the game. Against San Francisco, Williams had his second straight game without a missed tackle while providing a hurry against Brock Purdy. In the previous game, Williams recorded four hurries against Los Angeles. The best Williams play from Sunday came on a McCaffrey run where he has improved over the past two years. Williams’ run defense is often overlooked and will be a key to the Hawks’ success or lack of success for the rest of the year. This particular play shows how good Williams can be. As you can see, Williams took on a pulling guard and blew him up, pushing the guard into the backfield.

While blowing up the guard looks like it will allow Knight (#48) or Jones (#13) to fill the gap and make a tackle, Williams actually sheds the block and tackles McCaffrey for a one yard gain.

Williams might not be a Pro Bowler (although I think he should be) and he might not end up with double digit sacks, but I love him. He is a stud and we should be happy to have him in Seattle.