The Seahawks lost to the 49ers 17-13 as new QB Sam Darnold struggled to move the team.
SEATTLE — The Seahawks opened the season in a way they didn’t want to — with a 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Here are three takeaways from the loss to their NFC West rival:
No offense, no problem?
Seattle’s offense couldn’t do much against San Francisco. The 49ers kept the ball out of the Seahawks’ hands, dominating time of possession. San Francisco held the ball for nearly 38 minutes, while Seattle had it for just 22. The Seahawks gained a paltry 230 total yards — 52 of which came on the final drive.
New quarterback Sam Darnold struggled to move the offense down the field. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 150 yards — 124 of those went to Jaxon Smith-Njigba
It’s all about the ball
Former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll famously told his team, “It’s all about the ball.” He meant creating turnovers on defense and minimizing them on offense.
Seattle’s defense grabbed two interceptions and nearly had a third, but Riq Woolen wasn’t aggressive enough on Jake Tonges’ touchdown catch.
On the first Brock Purdy interception, the Seahawks failed to do much with it and went three-and-out. After the second interception, Seattle cashed in with a field goal.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks fumbled the ball away twice. The second came on their final drive. It looked like they were going to score, but right tackle Abe Lucas was pushed back into Sam Darnold’s throwing arm, and the ball popped loose. San Francisco recovered and ended the game.
Special Teams help
Seattle nearly pulled out a win, thanks to special teams play, or a lack of it by the 49ers.
San Francisco kicker Jake Moody hit a 27-yard field goal attempt off one of the uprights with one minute left in the first half. Then, Seattle blocked a field goal attempt late in the third quarter.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan became hesitant to put Moody back out there. Instead of attempting another kick, San Francisco went for it on fourth down deep in Seattle’s territory.
