The San Francisco 49ers handed our Seahawks a tough 32-29 loss last weekend, and to add insult to injury, their punter Corliss Waitman was named the NFC special teams player of the week. Yeah, you read that right. The dude who made our lives miserable in the field position battle just got rewarded for it.
Waitman’s First-Half Field Position Nightmare
Waitman was a absolute nightmare in that first half. The 49ers called on him five times, and every single one of those punts landed inside our Seahawks’ 20-yard line. Think about that for a second: five punts, five times we were starting deep in our own territory. It is brutal. But it got worse. Three of those punts had our boys pinned inside their own 10-yard line, and one of them even left us to start a drive inside our own 5-yard line. That kind of consistent, soul-crushing field position flip can absolutely drain an offense and set up an opposing defense for easy stops. We were fighting uphill the entire first half because of it.
The Award That Stings
The Niners did not even need Waitman to punt in the second half, which tells you just how effective his first 30 minutes were. His work was more than enough to net him the NFC special teams player of the week award. This is the first time he has taken conference honors while with the 49ers, though he did snag an AFC version once back in 2022 when he was with the Broncos. It just goes to show you how much impact a good punter can have, especially in a tight game against a divisional rival.
This early season loss stings, and it is a stark reminder that every single play, even punts, can decide a game against a divisional opponent. Our Seahawks have to lock in and learn from every phase of the game if we want to turn these close contests into wins moving forward. Every yard matters, and we have to start winning those hidden yardage battles.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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