Several weeks ago I said that the 49ers would likely lose to the Seahawks on Twitter, and that the Saints would take over the No. 2 seed because of it. Needless to say, I'm rather happy about this win, however ugly it may be. Sure, it would have been great to set a rushing record ... but wait, we already did. Last week, the 49ers became the only team to never allow a rushing touchdown in fifteen games. That's already an NFL-best record, and if they hold Steven Jackson to two touchdowns, they'll have allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns in a 16-game season ever.
So is the 49ers run defense historically good? Yes, it most definitely is. One of the, if not the best rushing defense of all time. I have absolutely no problem saying that. The only thing that bothers me is that it had to come from Marshawn Lynch, a player I dislike for reasons I don't understand. Perhaps it's the "beast mode" moniker I don't like. Maybe it's that I fear several people were turned to stone by looking him directly in the face today.
Anyway, I'm getting off track. The 49ers sent over some lovely notable stats and things of that nature, and I've posted those after the jump. So, you know, make the jump, and do remember that site decorum is on.
With the win...
· The 49ers won their 5th road game of the season, marking the most road wins by the club since 2002.
· San Francisco improved to 12-3 this season, marking the first 12-win season by the 49ers since 2001 (12-4).
· The Niners evened up the overall series record vs. the Seahawks at 13 games apiece, including 7-7 in Seattle.
· Head Coach Jim Harbaugh moved within one win of posting the 2nd best record for a rookie head coach in franchise history [George Seifert 14-2 (1989) and Steve Mariucci 13-3 (1997)].
Points Are Hard To Come By
· The 49ers defense ranks 1st in the NFL, allowing just 13.5 points per game.
· The 13.5 points per game allowed is on pace to rank 1st in franchise history for a single season.
Knocking It Out
· The 49ers defense registered 1 PD on the day at Seattle, giving them 97 for the season. The 97 PDs rank 2nd in the NFL this season
Best of the Best
· K David Akers connected on 4 FGs on the day, giving him 42 made FGs in 2011, which sets a new NFL record. The previous mark was held by Arz. K Neil Rackers who hit 40 FGs in 2005.
· Connecting on 4 FGs and 1 PAT on the day, Akers now has a career-high 156 total points this season. He is the first players in the NFL to register 150 or more pts. in a season since RB LaDainian Tomlinson scored 186 pts. (31 TDs) in 2006.
Running The Field
· The 49ers rushed for 178 yds .and 1 TD on 40 carries at Seattle, which are the most rushing yds. allowed by the Seahawks in a single game this season.
· RB Frank Gore carried the ball 23 times for 83 yds. and registered his 8th TD of the season.
· Rookie RB Kendall Hunter set a career-high with 73 rushing yds. on 12 carries.
Comeback Kid
· The 19-17 victory at Seattle marked QB Alex Smith's 5th come-from-behind win this season and his 4th on the road. Smith tied QB Joe Montana for the most 4th qtr. comebacks on the road in franchise history. Montana had four in 1989.
Bringing ‘Em Down
· DT Ray McDonald notched his 5.5 sack on the season bringing down Seahawks QB Tavaris Jackson in the 1st qtr. for a 10-yd. loss. His 5.5 sacks are a new single season career-high for McDonald.
· LB NaVorro Bowman recorded his 1st career sack taking down Jackson for a 4-yd. loss in the 2nd qtr.
· LB Aldon Smith registered 1.0 sack on Jackson in the 4th qtr. He now has 14.0 sacks on the season which ranks 1st among rookies, and 5th in the NFL.
· Smith's 14.0 sacks currently rank 2nd in NFL history for the most sacks by a rookie (Since 1982).
Closing Them Out
· With the Seahawks driving for the potential go-ahead score late in the 4th qtr., LB Larry Grantchased down QB Tavaris Jackson, stripping the ball from behind. The loose ball was scooped up by S Donte Whitner. For Grant, it marked his 1st FF of the season and 4th of his career. It also marked the 3rd FR of the season for Whitner.
Extending Their Streaks
· TE/LS Brian Jennings has now played in 191 consecutive games.
· DT Justin Smith has now started 170 consecutive games, dating back to his rookie season in 2001. Smith's consecutive start streak ranks 3rd among defensive players and 5th among all NFL players.
· TE Vernon Davis has now started 74 consecutive games, which ranks 3rd in the NFL among TE's behind Tony Gonzalez (83) and Jason Witten (79).