It’s October 11th, and we just watched Sam Darnold get hammered by Romello Height at Lumen Field, which stings, but what really gets under your skin is knowing our Seahawks are already staring down a THREE-game deficit against the 5-0 49ers in mid-October. Yeah, you read that right. The team down south is sitting atop the NFL, undefeated, and it feels like they’re running away with things, even with a rash of injuries sidelining guys like Pat Surtain and Hufanga.
That Shanahan/Purdy Combo Is For Real
Look, it’s not just luck. Brock Purdy, in his fifth season, is straight-up clicking in Kyle Shanahan’s system. We’ve heard Steve Young talk about QBs hitting that sweet spot where their mental game lets them toy with defenses, even as their physical skills dip. Purdy isn’t even 26 yet, so he’s nowhere near slowing down physically, but he’s clearly hitting that next-level mental mastery. Shanahan himself told a Fox crew that Purdy is finally starting to understand the *why* behind his play calls, and Purdy’s made it clear his ascent is tied directly to that system and really getting the complexities of it. It’s scary because it looks like he’s just scratching the surface. On the defensive side, Raheem Morris, a long-time NFL defensive backs coach, is making his mark too. He’s mixing things up, bringing in more match coverage that lets their zone defenders stick tight to receivers on specific routes, even though they’re still playing mostly zone. It’s that kind of strategic depth on both sides of the ball that’s making them so tough.
The Rookie Wallop That Hits Too Close to Home
But here’s the kicker, the stuff that really hurts from a Seahawks fan perspective: their rookies are making massive impacts, and we felt it. We’re seriously pulling for DJ Jones to *replicate* the success that guys like Gracen Halton and Osa Odighizuwa had against Seattle’s interior. That phrasing means they had success against our interior linemen already. Halton’s awareness is off the charts, and he’s turned out to be a much better run defender than anyone anticipated. He’s the type of player who just causes chaos, and sometimes his plays don’t even show up in the box score, but you feel his presence. Then you’ve got Dugger, who’s impressing by holding his own against 300-pounders. Their running back, Black, is averaging 2.6 yards per carry in the red zone and 3.9 yards outside of it. He’s showing flashes, bouncing off tackles and falling forward, and gaining yards after contact, but he’s also getting stuffed behind the line of scrimmage and failing to force missed tackles. Black struggles to resist the urge to bounce runs that don’t need to, or to stop his feet in the backfield. In 1-on-1 situations, he’s indecisive instead of being the aggressor. Still, the fact that these new guys are contributing like this, especially Halton causing chaos against our interior, is a huge part of why they’re undefeated.
So what’s next? The 49ers have the Commanders coming up for Week 6. Kyle Shanahan will be holding press conferences Thursday and Saturday, with Raheem Morris, Klay Kubiak, and Brock Purdy talking to the media on Friday. They’ll be practicing all three days leading up to the game. For us? We gotta hope they stumble, and fast, because that three-game gap this early in the season is a gut punch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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