With the announcement that Marshawn Lynch was going to be inactive for the game, there was some thought there might just be a chance that the San Francisco 49ers could pull of a win in Seattle, something they haven't done since 2011. Instead, undrafted Seattle RB Thomas Rawls had a record breaking day. The 49ers had never given up more than 200 yards to a single running back in a game, until today. Were the 49ers prepared for Rawls? There are varying opinions.
HC Jim Tomsula on if they prepared enough for Rawls:
Yeah. I don't see the counter when they pulled around. That was a bit of a different run play but we should have been able to fit that up. But I didn't see any major changes in the run game. We didn't get that done.
LB NaVorro Bowman simply stated:
We prepared for 24 and 24 didn't play. So, I don't know what effect that had on us, but they did a great job taking advantage of it.
Michael Wilhoite:
We didn't do what we were supposed to do. We missed tackles. Weren't in the right gaps. What you saw against Atlanta was a very good team defense. We didn't play that today.
The 49ers appeared lethargic in the beginning of the game. Normally a bye week helps a team feel refreshed and recharged, but the entire team didn't really wake up until the end of the first half. The defense didn't get a stop until Seattle's fourth drive of the game and the offense didn't get points on the board until their fourth drive of the game.
Ahmad Brooks on the slow start:
I can't speak for nobody else. I know I did today. Took me a while to get up and going in this game. I don't know why, but we can't do that if we want to be something special, [if] we want to improve what we're doing. We got to come out like our ass is on fire. Like seriously.
Rawls 209 rushing yards is second most in NFL history in a single game by an undrafted player in his rookie season behind Tommy Wilson's 223 yards for the LA Rams on 12/16/1956. This marked his second 160+ yard rushing performance, following 169 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5. He is the first undrafted free agent running back to rush for 160 or more yards twice in his rookie season since stats were first recorded in 1933.
#49ers allowed 255 rushing yards, the most since 9-24-78 (256 vs. Giants). — Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) November 23, 2015
Poor tackling was at the root of the 49ers defensive woes as well as the slow start. The defense is young and that creates inconsistencies in play on the field. They had a solid game against Atlanta, and then had week off. The team found out that Lynch wasn't playing, and maybe felt relief. They play much better at home than they do on the road. These are all things that can lead to mental breakdowns that you see from young teams, which the 49ers definitely are.