When the Seattle Seahawks lost to the San Francisco 49ers 28–16 on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium, they were declared out of the NFC West race. The Hawks suffered their fourth straight loss, which reduced their chances of qualifying for the playoffs from unlikely to extremely unlikely. This is a significant departure from just six weeks prior, when they were leading their division and virtually certain to make the postseason.
However, not everything against the Niners was hopeless. Despite making a few stupid throws during the game, Drew Lock managed to keep the team in the contest until the halfway point. On the offensive end of the ball, Abe Lucas set a season high in snaps played for the Seahawks, appearing on the field for 53 of the 59 offensive snaps that the team played.
Not to mention, Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet played a resounding majority of the running back snaps. Only one offensive play was made by DeeJay Dallas, while seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh was limited to playing on special teams once more.
The majority of the starting secondary, including Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, and Riq Woolen, played the entire game on defense, though Devon Withersppon’s early injury necessitated some early substitutions. In particular, Mike Jackson played 50 of the 54 snaps in which the defense was in the game, giving up just one completion on three targets and breaking up two passes overall.
The way he performed reminded him more of his 2022 season than his 2023 preseason, so while Seahawks supporters will undoubtedly miss Witherspoon if he misses time, maybe Jackson can cover for him in a way that lessens the impact on the fan base.
It’s also important to note that, although it was obviously not the case, cornerback replacements are frequently singled out for the duration of a game when a cornerback is out. Fans are welcome to interpret Jackson’s performance however they see fit, since there’s really no reason to single him out when the rest of the Seattle back seven is just the Seattle back seven.
