Well, the obvious reaction to Sunday’s game was to either vomit, throw something, or rant on social media and we here at The Niner Empire certainly agree! It was a pathetic performance all the way around! The offense didn’t move the ball, the defense didn’t stop anything and it was just hard to watch.
Despite the pain of watching that game, there is another element of this game to consider. What are reasonable expectations we should all be having for a game like that?
The circumstances were difficult. This is in no way an excuse, but if realistic expectations are kept, we all should have expected that there was a high probability that this type of game occurring.
Here’s a rundown of what we saw.
The Defense.
The only way the 49ers were going to have a chance to steal this game was to shut down Seattle’s running attack, which was already hampered with the loss of Thomas Rawls. The other key was pass rush and constant pressure on Russell Wilson. Neither happened.
Right out of the gate, Wilson hit Doug Baldwin on a deep pass and then Christine Michael ran for a 41 yard touchdown.
Once they got up by two scores, the outcome seemed very unlikely to change.
The Offense
The realistic viewpoint to have is to understand that it’s very hard for everyone to move the ball on Seattle, especially at Century Link Field. While that’s true, 49ers fans deserve a better product than what is on the field right now.
Blaine Gabbert is inconsistent. There are times he makes good throws and times he doesn’t. It’s just that simple.
The offensive line is good, but Seattle’s defense is awesome.
That being said, there is no excuse for this many punts in a game. Something has to change.
The Bottom Line
This was simply a superior team defeating an inferior team. The Niners have to regroup and get the offense going. The defense has to be able to pressure the quarterback and stop the run if they’re to have a chance this Sunday against Dallas.
Notes
Anthony Davis retired for a second time in less than a year. He suffered a concussion the Thursday before the Niners’ opener against the Rams and it seemed to have scared him back into retirement.
Newly acquired wide receiver Keyshawn Martin will be seeing action on Sunday against Dallas and the 49ers hope he can not only make an impact for the offense, but also on special teams. He had previously been on New England.