For the second time in the Pete Carroll era, the Seattle Seahawks have dropped three consecutive games at home. On Thursday night the San Francisco 49ers completed the season sweep of the Seahawks for the first time since 2011 with a 21-13 decision.
To add insult to injury, the 49ers clinched the NFC West Championship with their victory. It is San Francisco’s first division crown since 2019, which was also claimed at Lumen Field. The 49ers have now won the NFC West in Seattle more times in the last four years than the Seahawks have. Ouch.
Seattle’s offense could do little against perhaps the best defense in the NFL and floundered all night long. The defense played admirably given the circumstances but had two disastrous lapses in coverage to give San Francisco instant touchdowns. Given how the offense was playing, it was all the Niners needed.
The Seahawks fall to 7-7 and are as cold as the mid-December air. A quick shoutout to kicker Jason Myers whose 51-yard field goal tied Stephen Hauschka for most games (6) with successful 50+ yard kicks in franchise history. Aside from Mr. Myers, it’s a Duds-heavy list this week
No. 1 Dud - Travis Homer
Rarely does one play mean the difference between a win or a loss in the NFL, but it can be the impetus for an unrecoverable momentum shift. For the Seahawks, Travis Homer’s costly fumble just before halftime was one such play.
Trailing 7-3 with 68 seconds remaining in the half, the Seahawks had an opportunity to drive down for some points before intermission. Having been mostly outplayed thus far by the Niners, Seattle could have stolen some positive momentum. Unfortunately, Homer fumbled at Seattle’s 46, and the Niners returned the recovered fumble all the way to the 6-yard line.
San Francisco scored a touchdown two plays later to go up 14-3, then scored a quick touchdown (more on that next) on the opening possession of the second half to make an insurmountable 21-3 deficit.
Meanwhile, Homer finished the game with five total touches and nine all-purpose yards.
No. 2 Dud - Cody Barton
For a decade, the 12th Man enjoyed watching elite linebacker play by the likes of Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright ruin the day for opposing offenses. It’s this reason why plays like the one below are hard so hard to watch. Trailing 14-3, 49ers tight end George Kittle faced literally no resistance en route to the end zone on this 54-yard touchdown.
GEORGE. KITTLE. Second TD of the night!#SFvsSEA on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/gyMqx7NKs2 pic.twitter.com/yD00n8dfSX— NFL (@NFL) December 16, 2022
For Kittle to get this open, a lot had to go wrong at all three levels of Seattle’s defense, especially the equally poor tackling attempt from safety Quandre Diggs. But for Barton to barely lay a hand on Kittle as the very last line of defense is inexcusable.
Perhaps Barton wouldn’t have been able to stop Kittle. He is one of the best tight ends in the NFL, after all. The issue here is Barton’s attempt. In many ways, this play encapsulates the problems Seattle’s defense has had at tackling for most of the season.
No. 3 Dud - Quandre Diggs
Quandre Diggs isn’t escaping blame for the Kittle touchdown, either. Since arriving in Seattle, Diggs has been one of the best playmakers on the Seahawks’ defense. No matter how strong or weak Seattle’s defense has looked over the past few years, Diggs has often been one of the most consistent bright spots. The 2022 campaign has been a rough one for the veteran safety and has been a major problem in the run defense.
Diggs also makes the list for a dropped interception gifted to him by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy on 3rd-and-11. Had Diggs been able to hold onto the ball, the Seahawks would have been set up nicely deep in San Francisco territory with a better chance to score before intermission.
Instead, the 49ers benefitted from the dropped pass. They punted and quickly got the ball back before halftime thanks to the aforementioned Homer fumble.
Diggs signed a three-year extension this past spring worth $39 million, and his cap hit for next season is over $18 million. It may be time to have some difficult conversations about his future in the Emerald City.
No. 4 Dud - Homefield Disadvantage?
Lumen Field has long been considered one of the most challenging environments for road teams, but do the numbers back this up in recent seasons? Since 2017, the Seahawks have finished with a winning record at home only twice. In one of those years, 2020, the Seahawks were 7-1 during the regular season but were blown out at home in the Wild Card round.
In three of the last five completed seasons, the Seahawks have finished at or below .500 at home.
Seattle lost its fourth game at home this season. The Seahawks will need to beat the Jets, who have playoff aspirations of their own, and the Rams, who would love nothing more than to play spoiler, to finish with a winning record at Lumen Field.
