The Seattle Seahawks had first place in the NFC West right in front of them. Instead, they walked away with a 32-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and it stings. This was a game Seattle could have won, and a few costly mistakes on offense made the difference. Both of these teams came into today’s game without some key players, and the 49ers even lost two of them during the game. This will leave a sour taste in that locker room. 

There were more losers than winners for the Seahawks in this one against the 49ers. Still, three players on the defensive side of the football deserve credit for keeping Seattle in it.

Winners

Byron Murphy II

I’ll start with defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, who was excellent. He finished with two sacks, three tackles for loss, and six tackles, which ranked second on the team. Murphy II has been terrific for Seattle all season long, and he created pressure and havoc for 49ers QB Brock Purdy all afternoon. It was a tough day at times for the Seahawks defense, but Byron Murphy II did everything he could.

Ernest Jones IV

Linebacker Ernest Jones followed up last week’s strong outing with another great performance. He led the team with nine tackles and added a sack, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. Jones also got a separate hit on Purdy. He has been playing some really good football lately, and Seattle needs him to keep it up. 

Nehemiah Pritchett

Lastly, cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett played a solid game and came away with an interception. The Seahawks secondary obviously struggled covering 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans late in the game. Even so, Pritchett’s pick was crucial for the Seahawks’ comeback effort when they trailed earlier in the game.

Now, a quick side note on wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He put up more than 100 yards, but I can’t put him in the winners column. He dropped a crucial pass late in the fourth quarter that would have put Seattle in field goal range. In a three-point game, that’s tough to overlook.

Losers 

George Holani

Look, the entire backfield struggled, so let’s start there. George Holani is clearly not going to do anything for this Seattle team. For whatever reason, he’s still on the roster. He managed four carries for seven yards and couldn’t get anything going on the ground.

Holani did catch a few passes, but one of them turned into a disaster. It looked like he was headed for the end zone. Instead, he fumbled with no one near him. The Seahawks had to fall on it and settled for a field goal on that possession. They lost by three. That was a potential 4-point swing.

Emanuel Wilson

Emmanuel Wilson played well last week, but not so much this week. He found the end zone, yet he finished with only 61 rushing yards and had a costly fumble of his own. This backfield desperately needs Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet back.

Sam Darnold

Then there’s quarterback Sam Darnold. I didn’t think he had a great game, and I think it’s fair to say that. He threw two interceptions. Was he under constant pressure? Absolutely. But Darnold made some poor decisions at times. He did make some good throws down the stretch that should have been caught. He just didn’t play well overall.

Offensive Line

Speaking of pressure, the offensive line has to be on this list. The unit allowed five sacks and Seattle averaged only 3.4 yards per carry. The Seahawks were facing a banged-up 49ers defensive front, and they still got whooped all game long. That simply can’t happen.

Wide Receiver Room (minus JSN)

Finally, the entire receiving room outside of Smith-Njigba failed to step up. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp put it all on the line on the last-ditch effort at the end of the game and came up inches short. For the rest of the game, though, Seattle had no reliable pass catcher outside of its top receiver, and it cost the offense in key moments. They need someone else to consistently step up in the passing game. 

Leonard Williams

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was nowhere to be found. He’s one of the best players on the Seahawks defense, and Seattle needed more from him against the 49ers. He has to step it up in big games like this. When Byron Murphy II is creating that much havoc on his lonesome, he needs the help from Williams right beside him. When those two are on their game, it makes opposing offenses wither. 

The good news is the defense showed enough to believe in it. Murphy, Jones, and Pritchett gave Seattle a real chance to win this game. But until the offense cleans up the fumbles, protects Darnold, and finds a second option in the passing game, the Seahawks will keep letting games like this slip away. Get the backfield healthy, and this team can still make a run at the NFC West.