( Editor’s note: This is excerpted from Mike Sando’s Pick Six of Nov. 18, 2024.) The Seahawks cut their starting middle linebacker and processed their starting center’s retirement during their recently completed bye week.
Then, they defeated the San Francisco 49ers for the first time since 2021 after six consecutive defeats (by an average of two touchdowns) in the series. The 20-17 victory featured an 11-play, 80-yard drive to the winning touchdown in the final 2:38, with Geno Smith rushing for 29 of the final 37 yards. GO DEEPER How Geno Smith and the Seahawks saved their season: ‘He gets that look in his eyes’ This was a signature victory for first-year Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald in an up-and-down initial season.
His defense tackled better at the linebacker level, a huge point of emphasis punctuated by Tyrel Dodson ’s surprise release. His defense also held 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to 5.7 yards per attempt, the second-lowest figure for Purdy in 37 total career starts.
This was the first time since 2019 that Seattle held the 49ers below 20 points. There was also a subtle shift away from the shotgun formation, including on running back rushing plays. Did this reflect Macdonald asserting some influence over an offense that, through formation and play calling, has been perhaps too strongly oriented toward the pass? The table above shows the shift after filtering out the final two minutes of halves, when teams are frequently in pass mode or running down the clock.
The pivot toward more run-friendly formations Sunday did not steer first-year offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb toward the running game, however. The Seahawks’ 58 percent pass rate on early downs outside the final two minutes of halves Sunday mirrored the rate during the pass-happy previous four games heading into the Week 10 bye. Kenneth Walker III finished the San Francisco game with only 14 carries even though Seattle never trailed by more than four points.
Might Macdonald, as a defensive-minded coach who came up under John Harbaugh in Baltimore and spent two years with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, want more carries for his featured back? The table above shows offensive tendencies for the Seahawks on early downs under all of their offensive coordinators since 2010. Seattle ranks second on the Cook Index this season, with only Cincinnati passing more frequently on early downs in the first 28 minutes of games, before the clock and score differential exert more influence. That will be one area to watch as Seattle finds its way under its new coach.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images).
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Is Seahawks' offensive shift a sign of Mike Macdonald asserting himself?
After a tumultuous bye week, the Seahawks made several changes in what became a signature victory for Macdonald over the 49ers.