Niners Nation
The San Francisco 49ers edged past the Seattle Seahawks 17-13 thanks to a go-ahead touchdown drive in the final minutes that pushed them over the top.
It was a back-and-forth battle with many highs and many lows, but nonetheless a major victory over a division rival on the road to start the season.
Here are three key takeaways from the 49ers’ 17-13 win over the Seahawks.
Defense shines under Robert Saleh
After two years of inconsistent defenses, the 49ers flourished in Week 1 under Robert Saleh on that side of the ball.
Saleh absolutely shut down Seattle’s offense, limiting the Seahawks to a measly 4.6 yards per play and 146 passing yards.
Early on, it was clear that Saleh was going to put quite a bit on the secondary’s plate, looking to blitz more often than his predecessors and speed up Sam Darnold’s clock in the pocket. As a result, Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak didn’t seem to trust his quarterback for much of this game, calling quick passes and screens that the 49ers were able to sniff out.
San Francisco’s front seven rallied to the football well, with Fred Warner and Dee Winters both looking really good in the season opener. In the secondary, Saleh left his cornerbacks without much help, and both Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green rose to the occasion.
Green was tested more, but he had several really good plays. Of course, as a cornerback, you’re going to get beaten here and there against tough competition, as Green was on the 1-on-1 to Jaxon Smith-Ngijba on Seattle’s final drive. But, San Francisco’s top two corners both played very well on the outside.
The lone blemish defensively was the learning curve of nickelback Upton Stout, who had tough matchups against Cooper Kupp and Smith-Njigba in the slot. Being in 1-on-1 matchups quite a bit, it was evident that Kubiak and the Seahawks offense were looking to pick on the rookie, and they got their way for much of the afternoon.
Perhaps Saleh could’ve shifted the coverage to give Lenoir some more of those 1-on-1 matchups, rather than aligning his corners in their specific spots, but the rest of the 49ers defense played well and came up with key stops when necessary.
None was bigger than Nick Bosa’s pressure + forced fumble at the end of the game to seal the deal, keeping Seattle at 13 points and handing them the loss in the opener. San Francisco only got one sack, but they got enough pressure on Darnold and forced Seattle to primarily operate with a quick passing game, which the 49ers sniffed out.
The biggest issue for the defense in 2024 was stopping the run. While there were some plays to clean up, the 49ers didn’t allow a 10+ yard rush and held Seattle to 84 yards on 3.2 yards per carry. Not bad at all.
This was a strong start to the year defensively, especially given all the moving pieces, and Saleh was at the forefront...
