Seahawks @ 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 28, Seahawks 16
Writer: Jason Wolf (J_Wolf_Picks on Twitter)
As was the case with the first time these two teams met, the 49ers seemed to be playing with their food before ultimately putting the Seahawks away much later in the game than was necessary. The game was tightly contested through the first half and most of the third quarter until the 49ers started pulling away as Brock Purdy was making big throw after big throw on his way to a career-high 368 yards on only 27 pass attempts. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk all accounted for over 100 scrimmage yards on a day where the Seahawks could not stop the dangerous 49ers offense and the Seattle offense was not moving the ball with consistency as Drew Lock got the start in place of the injured Geno Smith. Lock filled in admirably but ultimately keeping up with this offense was too tall a task.
Two Up
- Zach Charbonnet – Not only did Zach Charbonnet receive a near-even backfield split with teammate Kenneth Walker but Charbonnet actually outperformed Walker as he was much more efficient on his carries, and he passed the eye test convincingly while Walker’s performance was more inconsistent. Charbonnet could be seeing more touches moving forward as Walker rounds his way back to full game shape.
- Brandon Aiyuk – Aiyuk’s rise to stardom continued in this game as he finished with 100 yards and/or a TD for the sixth straight game. On an offense loaded with talent at all positions, Aiyuk somehow makes his mark every week. With defenses mostly focused on Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel, Aiyuk takes advantage and routinely burns his man in single coverage.
Two Down
- Kenneth Walker – The split between Walker and Zach Charbonnet was discouraging from Walker’s perspective. Maybe Walker is still getting healthy or maybe Charbonnet is improving and deserving of more touches. Charbonnet appeared to be more fresh and dangerous with the ball in his hands, making the backfield split a question mark moving forward, especially if Drew Lock has to make more starts.
- George Kittle – It might feel questionable to put Kittle in the “down” section after his fine day on the stat-sheet but the reality is he is just as likely to break off a long TD as he is to put up complete duds. Kittle’s versatility on the real football field can make life tough for his fantasy owners as his usage always takes last priority behind CMC, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel, who are tasked with doing the heavy lifting.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Drew Lock: 22/31, 269 Yards, 2 TD, 2 INT | 3 Carries, 5 Yards
Drew Lock started in place for the injured QB Geno Smith, and on the whole, he filled in admirably. Lock started the game off strong, going 5/6 for 68 yards and a touchdown on Seattle’s opening drive. It was an impressive and poised response to SF’s opening, two-play touchdown “drive.” Lock was (mostly) accurate, completing over 70% of his passes for a solid 8.7 YPA. He didn’t turn the ball over until desperation mode struck in the fourth quarter where he then turned the ball over twice on desperation heaves. Lock was surprisingly adequate as he looked to push the ball upfield even when the offensive line was letting pressure in. Lock played unafraid and even looked poised for the most part as he impressively maneuvered around pressure in the pocket; escaping quickly when needed and even made several nice throws on the run.
Notes
- When Lock was given time and space to operate, he was surprisingly accurate in the deeper levels of the field. This was put on full display on his first touchdown pass to DK Metcalf where Lock placed the ball perfectly out of reach of the DB only where Metcalf could make a play on it. Credit to Metcalf as it wasn’t a perfect ball, but Lock made sure that only Metcalf would have a chance at coming down with it.
- At times he showed plus anticipation, in particular on a 3rd down completion to Tyler Lockett where Lock released the ball as Lockett was coming out of his break, resulting in a perfectly timed pitch and catch.
- Escaped pressure and potential sacks numerous times, even making nice throws on the run after extending the play.
Running Back
Kenneth Walker III: 8 Carries, 21 Yards | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 33 Yards
Between coming back from injury and the negative game script with playing from behind, Kenneth Walker’s day was relatively tame. Walker saw eight carries and backfield made Zach Charbonnet handled nine. Even though Charbonnet was the more effective runner in the box score (and eye test), Walker still got more work in the passing game, which makes sense due to his skill-set being more suited for that than Charbonnet’s. Walker did make a splash play on one of his receptions, juking multiple defenders and using his elite lateral speed to reverse field and gain significant YAC.
Notes
- Showed something special on his 27-yard reception, flashing his elite combination of speed + elusiveness to make a whole lot of something out of nothing.
- Walker couldn’t get much going on the ground, which can be chalked up to playing a very tough defense and playing from behind as well. Will be interesting to monitor his workload next week against another tough opponent in the Eagles.
Zach Charbonnet: 9 Carries, 44 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards
Zach Charbonnet saw a near 50-50 split in touches with backfield mate Kenneth Walker. Charbonnet was definitively the more effective runner on the day, picking up decent yardage with nearly every rush. Charbonnet really flashed on his 23 yard rush, jump-cutting and juking his way down the field, making three(!) defenders whiff in the process. Charbonnet passed the eye test with flying colors in this one and his workload could continue to increase if Walker isn’t at full speed quite yet.
Notes
- Runs with conviction + authority. A scary RB to tackle when he’s running downhill.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DK Metcalf: 5 Targets, 2 Receptions, 52 Yards, TD
DK Metcalf was targeted five times in this one, only coming down with two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. The low volume and efficiency is both due to the 49ers’ top notch defense as well as the inability of Drew Lock to take full advantage of Metcalf’s skillset. Though Metcalf’s numbers were somewhat pedestrian, he did make an incredible play on his 31 yard touchdown. He did well to maintain outside position and made a jumping, twisting catch and displayed excellent awareness and body control in managing to come down with the ball while getting both of his feet in bounds for the TD. Lock did a good job of putting the ball where Metcalf could make a play on the ball but DK flashed his elite jump-ball ability in coming down with the catch.
Notes
- Metcalf was targeted on Drew Lock’s first interception on what was a classic “screw it, DK down there somewhere” prayer, but Metcalf was swarmed by multiple defenders and had no chance to make a play on the ball.
Tyler Lockett: 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 89 Yards
Tyler Lockett was ultra-efficient in this one, coming down with six receptions on six targets for 89 yards. Lockett didn’t make many splash plays (his longest play was “only” 24 yards) but he was consistently being found for crucial third down catches and was targeted when Seattle needed a guaranteed completion. The chemistry between Lockett and QB Drew Lock was clearly the best among the Seattle receivers as the timing/delivery of the ball on Lockett’s targets was crisp and right on time.
Missed Opportunities
- Given Lockett’s efficiency on his targets, Seattle could have used to send a few more targets his way.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 7 Targets, 4 Receptions, 25 Yards
JSN led the Seahawks in targets for the second consecutive week; a promising sign overall for him moving forward, however, the upside that comes with that will be severely limited as long as Drew Lock is throwing passes in place of Geno Smith. JSN saw seven targets but only caught four balls, a disappointing output given that the majority of his targets came on screens and short passing routes. Even with Seattle making a point to try to get him the ball in space, JSN couldn’t get anything going with Drew Lock under center, most likely a result of lack of familiarity / reps taken together.
Noah Fant: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 35 Yards
Notes
- Usually good for a big play or two a week, Noah Fant came down with two catches on four targets for 35 yards; 26 of those yards coming on a nice catch down the sideline but didn’t make much noise outside of that.
- Has caught more than two passes only once since week 3, something that Seattle should maybe try to change in the coming weeks.
Colby Parkinson: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 28 Yards, TD
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 19/27, 368 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 2 Carries, 7 Yards
Brock Purdy dominated this game, routinely torching the Seahawks’ secondary for big gains on his way to a new career-best 368 passing yards. The only real blemish on Purdy’s day was his lone interception which wasn’t completely his fault as there was a miscommunication between Purdy and WR Brandon Aiyuk. Other than the flukey interception, Purdy was dicing up the Seahawks and made it look easy while doing so. Of course it helps when you have the weapons that San Francisco does but Purdy was certainly getting the most out of the offense as his efficiency was through the roof, accruing over a 13.5 YPA.
Notes
- As usual, Purdy was looking to push the ball downfield whenever he dropped back. Despite what critics have said (and hopefully have stopped saying), he is much more than a game manager. Purdy is well above-average at throwing to all levels of the field, regularly hitting Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk perfectly in stride.
- When given time, he is one of the most accurate passers in the league. His accuracy was on full display in this one, particularly on his long TD throw to Samuel. Purdy had a clean pocket, stepped up, and let it fly; delivering the ball right to Deebo’s hands.
- Steps up/around pressure and maneuvers in the pocket like a seasoned veteran.
Missed Opportunities
- A rare missed opportunity as Purdy uncharacteristically missed an open receiver, forcing the 49ers to punt right before half when a completion would have resulted in a first down and most likely at least a field goal attempt before half.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey: 16 Carries, 145 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Christian McCaffrey started this game out with a bang! as he took the first play from scrimmage 73 yards, all the way down to the Seattle three-yard line. Backfield mate Jordan Mason promptly came in on the next play (because CMC just sprinted 75 yards) and converted the short TD plunge. CMC’s workload was a bit lighter this week as he wasn’t needed to do much work in the passing game with Purdy connecting with his receivers with ease. McCaffrey also did more with less on the ground as he finished with his second-highest rushing total of the season on only 16 carries, the fourth-fewest amount he’s seen in a game this year. McCaffrey was regularly gashing the Seattle defense for chunk gains with seemingly every single touch resulting in a 5+ yard gain,
Notes
- CMC is ridiculous. His combination of speed + power at his size should not be possible. He (along with Tyreek Hill) are probably the closest thing the NFL has to real-life cheat codes.
- Wasn’t used as a receiver in this one because it simply wasn’t needed. CMC’s rushing was more than enough to keep the ball moving and the receivers dominated the passing game when SF aired it out.
- Shakes off would-be tacklers like nothing. His ability to keep his legs churning through contact is unbelievable.
Jordan Mason: 4 Carries, 20 Yards, TD | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Jordan Mason got the first crack at goal-line carries on the second play from scrimmage after McCaffrey’s 73 yard scamper on the first. Mason didn’t see many touches in this one but was effective when called upon, picking up short-yardage first downs and converting on his only goal-line carry.
Notes
- Seems like a powerful runner. Didn’t break through much contact (lack of opportunity/situation) but it looks like he hits the hole hard.
- Appears to have the makings of a solid one-cut-and-go RB.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Deebo Samuel: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 149 Yards, TD | 1 Carry, 1 Yard, TD
Deebo Samuel was arguably the offensive star of this game, which says a lot given that two of his teammates also went for over 100 yards from scrimmage. Nonetheless, Samuel scored two touchdowns, the first of which was a long bomb where he completely blew past the Seattle DB’s with steps to spare and went for 150 scrimmage yards as he routinely made fools out of the Seahawks defense. Deebo was unstoppable, hauling in seven of nine targets for over 20 YPC while zooming past defenders and regularly making guys miss.
Notes
- Never gets taken down on first contact. Like ever.
- Deebo’s ability to create YAC might be unmatched as no one makes it look as effortless as he does.
- Between his (somehow, still) surprising strength and shiftiness, Deebo is one of the most difficult receivers to bring down in the open field.
Brandon Aiyuk: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 126 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Brandon Aiyuk had a big game in this one, something that is becoming quite routine for him. Aiyuk caught six balls (on nine targets) for over 20 YPC and was seemingly wide open on every reception of his. His ability to separate from DB’s using his quick release / first step off the LOS is insane. With CMC and Deebo to worry about in this offense, Aiyuk mostly sees single coverage, and when he does, he burns them more often that not, as was the case against the Seattle secondary in this one. Aiyuk repeatedly gashed the Seattle defense for chunk plays, making it look easy in the process.
Notes
- Elite quickness off the LOS and breakaway speed to match.
- Feels like a big play every time he touches the ball.
Missed Opportunities
- Aiyuk made a nice catch in heavy traffic, spinning out of initial contact to gain significant YAC only to fumble the ball in the red zone. Aiyuk’s fumble directly cost the 49ers a chance at points as well as the chance to put the Seahawks away earlier.
George Kittle: 5 Targets, 3 Receptions, 76 Yards, TD
Against the Seahawks in week 14, George Kittle wasn’t asked to do a whole lot of heavy lifting in the passing attack. He was targeted five times (around the lower end of the range of his targets) but he made the most of them, coming down with three receptions for 76 yards and a long touchdown.
Notes
- Kittle can become invisible on this ultra-talented 49ers offense as he is an integral part of the run game but he is always super dangerous with the ball in his hands as evidenced by his long catch-and-run touchdown where he pranced past multiple defenders on his way to the endzone.
Charlie Woerner: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards
Jauan Jennings: 1 Target