49ers snap count vs. Seahawks: Starters stick around until the end

The San Francisco 49ers struggled in a big way on Sunday, and at the end of the first half, the 49ers had executed as many plays (24) as the Seahawks had scored points. I don’t imagine that’s a first, but it showed just how bad things were going for the offense. Of course, the Seahawks had not run too many more plays, scoring those 24 points on 35 plays. Seattle’s big plays arrived fast and furious throughout the first half.

The 49ers found themselves trailing 37-3 early in the fourth quarter, and never got in this game. I was a little surprised that the team elected to keep a lot of their starters in as things were falling apart. Carlos Hyde was grinding for yards and touchdowns late, and the entire offensive line played all 57 snaps. I get that you don’t want to give up, but it seems like garbage time is an opportunity to do some development. The team went to the bench briefly in their 28-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Rams, so why not do the same when you’re down 37-3 in the fourth quarter?

DeForest Buckner once again led the defensive line in snaps. He’s had a rough go of it at times the past two weeks, but the experience is critical for his development. Mike Purcell and Quinton Dial were next among defensive linemen. The 49ers spent a sizable chunk of their day in their base defense. I was hoping we’d see them find success against the Seahawks weak offensive line, but Christine Michael had a huge first half. The 49ers line settled down eventually, but it was too little too late.

Here’s the full snap count (gamebook PDF):