While the irritation was high among the Faithful as the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl in San Francisco's stadium—and got to use the 49ers' locker room during it, no less—the game was instructive.

Boring. Good gracious, it was boring. But it was a lesson in how to win tough games—and how to beat the Seahawks.


On Sunday night, Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold put on a show—showing he is not in Brock Purdy's league. Darnold had a 50% passing completion rating and threw one touchdown. But he did a few things well. First, he did not turn the ball over. Second, he handed off admirably to Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III.

And therein lies the lesson: if you stop the Seahawks' running game, you win.

In the 49ers' first game against Seattle, they shut down the run, allowing 84 yards on the ground at 3.2 yards per attempt, and San Francisco won. The second time around, they rushed for 180 yards at 4.6 per carry, then 175 in the playoffs at an embarrassing 5.3 per carry.

However, let's look at the context. In the first game, the 49ers were healthy, with Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and Mykel Williams all stout against the run. Walker could not get the burst outside. Zach Charbonnet was ineffective.

In the games late in the season, the 49ers had no Warner. They had no Bosa or Williams. And the Seahawks ran all over them.


In 2023, the Niners ranked 3rd against the run and went to the Super Bowl. In 2024, they dropped to 18th, but improved to 12th last year. Not there yet, but improving. They will certainly be better when the big three return, but they are still a player away from dominating again.

The 49ers drafted defensive tackle Alfred Collins last year, and he shows promise, but they need one more. There likely won't be a defensive tackle worthy of a first-round pick in the draft, but free agency might have someone, and perhaps general manager John Lynch can find someone good in the second or third round, or work his magic and get a steal on day 3 the way he did with D.J. Jones in the sixth several years ago.

The Seahawks have one of the best defensive lines in football, third against the run. On Sunday night, they dominated the New England offensive line and won easily.

The other key factor in beating Seattle, therefore, is having an offensive line that can stand up to their defensive line. The Niners don't have that now. Not even close. They don't have the interior offensive line in particular.

Lynch must address that this offseason. It doesn't matter if it is through free agency or the draft, but they need upgrades at left guard and center, and they need to get someone who might replace superstar left tackle Trent Williams when he retires (which will be sooner rather than later).


On Sunday night, the Seahawks pushed New England left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson back into Drake Maye's lap numerous times. It was embarrassing. There is not a quarterback in the league who can succeed in that situation.

I must say, though, that one of the best in the league at sensing the rush and escaping is Brock Purdy. He would not have taken some of those sacks on Sunday night. He might have had to throw the ball away, however.

If the 49ers can improve their lines on both sides, they'll have the advantage. Running back Christian McCaffrey is better than Walker. The latter is good. McCaffrey is one of the two or three best in the league. San Francisco has a much better quarterback in Purdy. The 49ers have seen him win games when necessary. Darnold can't do that.

San Francisco's tight end, when George Kittle comes back, is miles ahead of their A.J. Barner, and the team's backup, Jake Tonges, can match him.

The 49ers' receiving corps is thin, but if they re-sign Jauan Jennings and take a strong wide receiver in the draft (likely a first-round pick, according to most mock drafts), they might match them.


San Francisco needs to upgrade its run defense, but the team will make progress on that as health improves. And the 49ers need to overhaul the offensive line, but a good offseason would at least get them on their way to that.

The 49ers were 12-5 last year with a porous offensive line and a defense and pass catchers on crutches. They can be better next year. A lot better. They won't go into the year as the favorite to win the Super Bowl, but it is reasonable to feel they can accomplish that goal.

Sunday night was a lesson. Now John Lynch needs to do his homework. If he does well on the test, the 49ers will be in good shape.

Written By:

Jack Stewart


Jack Stewart was educated at Alabama and Emory and was a Brittain Fellow at Georgia Tech. His poetry has been published widely in the US and several other countries. His book No Reason was published in the Poeima Poetry Series in 2020.
All articles by Jack Stewart


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