Note: On Sunday night at Century Link Stadium in Seattle the Seahawks administered a thorough beat down to their NFC West arch rival the San Francisco 49ers, winning the game 29-3. In so doing they sent every team in the NFL and all of their fans a message…please read on…MA 

As he stood on the sideline toward the end of the Seattle Seahawk’s blow out win over his San Francisco 49ers Sunday night in Seattle, the vacant look on Anquan Boldin’s face spoke volumes. He had no answer for the Seahawk “Legion of Boom” defensive backs. Neither, apparently, did 49er coach Jim Harbaugh or any of the other San Francisco players or coaches. Boldin had just suffered through a game that stood in stark contrast to the game he played the week before against the Green Bay Packers. Against the Packers he had gathered in 13 Colin Kaepernick throws for 208 yards and 1 touchdown. Against the Seahawks he caught one pass for a grand total of seven yards!

Yes! You heard me right…one catch for seven yards!

Richard Sherman and his fellow Seahawk legionnaires were like cheap suits draped all over Boldin and the 49er receivers the whole evening. Their coverage was suffocating. In many instances the 49er pass catchers could get no separation at all, forcing their beleaguered signal caller Kaepernick to hold on to the ball while dodging as much as he could the Seahawk pass rushers intent on doing him harm. As fast and shifty as Kaepernick is, as a passer he could never get his feet set due to the intensity of the Seattle rush. The Hawks sacked him three times while forcing a fumble (recovered by Hawk linebacker KJ Wright) and intercepted him three times. Every member of the “Legion of Boom” had an interception except the injured Brandon Browner, and he nearly got one on an overthrow while standing on the sideline in his street clothes.

The Seahawk defense forced Kaepernick into the worst game of his young career. He completed only 13 passes out of 28 attempts for a paltry 127 yards and the afore mentioned 3 interceptions and had a microscopic 20.1 passer rating. The Hawks also slammed the door on 9er running back Frank Gore, holding him to only 16 yards rushing. As a team the 49ers gained only 207 yards!

I haven’t mentioned much about the offense. No need to. Marshawn Lynch gained a workmanlike 98 yards while scoring three TDs and Russell Wilson  made some plays when he had to. But this game belonged to the defense. On a night when the 12^th man was in full throat at Century Link setting a Guinness Book world record for decibel volume in a sports stadium, the Seahawk defense was making a statement every bit as loud in their own way. Hawk head man Pete Carroll was very impressed with his defensive charges:

“The scheme worked out really well tonight,” said Carroll, who on this day celebrated his 62nd birthday. “We’ve been practicing this stuff for a long time. They had 62 yards at halftime, and they took every shot they could at us with their scheme. We were really fired up about that.” 

Meanwhile, Jim Harbaugh summed up his team’s effort succinctly: 

“I’m certainly not proud of the way that we played tonight or coached,” Harbaugh said. “It was not our finest hour.”

No kidding Jim!

This Seahawk team, especially the defense right now, is very, very good and when Chris Clemons and Brandon Browner return from injury it will only get better. The “Legion of Boom” is the best secondary in the league. Their play and that of the whole defense on Sunday night against the 49ers is sending every team in the NFL a message…this Seattle team is for real!

Hawk fans are entirely justified in allowing Super Bowl visions to dance in their heads.

I have a feeling it is going to be a fun season!

Copyright © 2013

By Mark Arnold

All Rights Reserved