3 takeaways after 49ers take late, lame loss to Seahawks
The 49ers and Seahawks played a game Sunday afternoon. That dull sentence summarizes what was an exhausting game on a gloomy afternoon in Santa Clara.
Despite Jauan Jennings playing like a man possessed, the 49ers did nothing convincing. They fell to 5-5 ahead of the toughest part of their schedule, and with key players ailing from injuries. Here are three takeaways from the loss.
Jauan Jennings, certified football player
There was not a whole lot of interest in winning this game on either side. Jennings was the exception to that. He was the 49ers entire gameplan, it seemed. And he obliged that trust from Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy time and time and time again.
Jennings finished this game with 10 receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, and it felt like every single catch he made was monumental.
He had four third-down conversions, none bigger than one on 3rd-and-11 that he had no business turning into a first down. He caught the ball three-to-four yards shy of the sticks, then carried literally four Seahawks defenders with him past the line to gain. To quote Kwon Alexander, it was a legendary effort. He was rewarded a play later with a lead-taking touchdown.
Pressure on Geno not enough
It has to be said that this was the best game of the season for Leonard Floyd. And it needed to be. By the fourth quarter, Nick Bosa was out of the game with his hip injury flaring up.
The 49ers got home to Geno Smith regularly, whether it was Bosa, Floyd, Sam Okuayinonu, or the just-returned Yetur Gross-Matos. They were a consistent threat, even when Smith found a couple of huge completions with pressure coming.
Smith was hit seven times for five sacks, and this was with starting right tackle Abe Lucas returning to the mix. Seattle's offensive line is a disaster, but it's also clear the 49ers benefited from Gross-Matos' return.
That said, none of it mattered. After what seemed like a crucial Floyd sack on the final drive, Floyd got too wide and let Smith scramble for 16 yards and a first down. A few plays later, Smith took the lead with a 13-yard touchdown scramble past De'Vondre Campbell and with Isaac Yiadom too locked in on D.K. Metcalf to turn around and make a play.
Offense still a disjointed mess
The 49ers offense is still woefully unserious and cannot seem to function after breaks. If there's a pause in the action and a key situation coming up, you can just about pencil in a hold or a false start.
The lack of George Kittle cannot be discounted, but San Francisco has had these issues even with Kittle available. The 49ers doubled up the Seahawks penalty count, committing nine of them for 64 yards, mostly on offense.
No matter what talent they have, there are far too many errors to take this offense seriously. And by seriously, we mean Super Bowl caliber. Anything less is a waste of time for this team, and week after week, it becomes clearer they are probably wasting our time.
