My oldest son started playing freshman football this year. Up to this point, he has never particularly cared about football or watched closely. Now that he is playing, he is paying more attention and we were lucky enough to score tickets this week on the 50 yard line (thank you Caroline!). It was awesome to be at a great game with my son. It was tremendous to see him scream for defensive stops. It was incredible to be in the midst of a NFL game that he cared about so much.
And it was remarkable that even my son, who watches only a little football, screamed out: “why didn’t you go for it on 4th and 1???”
Play to win. Always play to win. Even the 15 year olds know this.
With that said, my goodness, Riq Woolen could have changed the narrative of this game. And then we wouldn’t care about the 4th and 1.
Those were the two biggest talking points on social media and sports radio after the 49ers 17-13 win over the Hawks on Sunday. In this post, I will try to give you five additional takeways as you ponder how Seattle will possibly go into Pittsburgh and get a victory this week.
Charbonnet Needs More Snaps
The other way to say this is that Ken Walker needs less snaps. The reality is that Zach Charbonnet runs with conviction and purpose while Walker looks like he is always nursing an injury. (Most of the time, he is nursing an injury). While there seems to be a national and local fascination with what Ken Walker could be, the facts don’t match this dream. In 10 attempts on Sunday, Walker had -21 rush yards over expected, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That was third worst in the the league. (Interestingly, Christian McCaffrey was the worst). Zach Charbonnet was at -2 rush yards over expected, which doesn’t sound good either. However, this was 12th in the NFL with only 11 rushers recording positive yards in this stat. The eye test matches the stats for me. Feed Charbonnet 80% - 90% of the carries this week againt Pittsburgh.
Offensive Offense
Any early excitement over Clint Kubiak as offensive coordinator quickly moved to the X dumpster fire of social media posts after this game one performance. In the 17-13 loss to the 49ers, the Hawks recorded the 5th lowest passing yards in the league, only 84 yards rushing (middle of the pack), and the second lowest time of possession. While the stats show a pathetic peformance, the process is even more disturbing. We were sold on Kubiak establishing the run and using Sam Darnold as a play-action passer. However, as one X user pointed out, that only happened twice.
The general consensus from those who cover the Seahawks and Seahawk fans is that there is a lack of clarity on what the plan is for the offense. That needs to change in week 2.
Shanahan outdueled MacDonald
This is a takeaway where the stats might tell a different story than the headline. Yes, Christian McCaffrey only averaged 3.1 yards per rush on 22 carries. Yes, Purdy threw two interceptions (and possibly another that should have clinched a win for the Hawks). However, being on the 50 yard line in person (slight flex) gave me a great perspective on what Shanahan was doing in big moments. Specifically, Shanahan found ways to get McCaffrey in favorable matchups in the passing game using schemes, routes, and deception. The Seahawks had no answer as McCaffrey went for nine catches on ten targets. Here is an example.
In the above clip, Shanahan basically runs a staggered, short skinny post with a tight end behind McCaffrey simply to clear out the defenders. This allows McCaffrey to run the exact route behind the tight end in open space.
While MacDonald wasn’t bad in his playcalling (obvious with the defensive numbers), Shanahan was just better.
JSN…Anyone Else?
The first game of the regular season will really sober a fanbase up better than any liquid IV. After weeks of hype around Elijah Arroyo, Tory Horton and the homecoming of Cooper Kupp, no one other than Jaxon Smith-Njigba did anything in the passing game. JSN was fantastic with nine catches (on ten targets) for 124 yards. If Seattle doesn’t fumble at the end of the game, Smith-Njibga is probably the story. Sadly, it was not to be. Overall, Sam Darnold only targeted a receiver or tight end not named JSN six times. This included zero targets for Horton. The question is whether this is a precursor of sad times to come or a blip in week one?
The Left Side of the Line
The Seahawks offensive line was not a problem in this game. While the entire unit wasn’t elite, the left side of the line has a chance to be. Charles Cross finished the game with a 79.7 rating from Pro Football Focus, good for 8th in the entire league among all offensive linemen. He was 2nd overall in pass blocking in particular. Grey Zabel held his own in his first NFL start with a decent PFF rating (but not good). The NFL analysts on X liked Zabel more than PFF. Brian Baldinger is a big fan.
Zabel wasn’t awesome, but it seems like he will be. And we should expect the left side of the line to be the biggest offensive strength in coming weeks.