The Seattle Seahawks (2-1) erased the memory of last week's ugly loss to the Rams with a punishing and convincing 37-18 throttle-job of the San Francisco 49ers (1-2). Here's what we learned from Sunday's rout:
- All those worries about Seattle's offense? Ship that chatter to outer space. Russell Wilson riddled the Niners for 243 yards and a touchdown at a meaty 10.6 yards per throw before leaving with an apparent left knee injury. Wilson was pulled from the tilt with 10 minutes left in the third quarter after his left leg was rolled up on in ugly fashion. The magical passer returned just one play later, but backup Trevone Boykin took over for good on the following drive. Pam Oliver of FOX Sports reported that Seattle was "going to pull him anyway" with the game out of hand, but Wilson is already dealing with a high-ankle sprain on his right leg. Pete Carroll told reporters after the game that Wilson "sprained his knee a little bit." Wilson's health is obviously huge news heading into Week 4.
- Seahawks running back Christine Michael lived up to the billing. Unencumbered by committee duties, The Woke Bloke ripped through San Francisco for 106 yards on 20 totes, using his power and burst to victimize the opponent. Michael opened the scoring with a 41-yard touchdown run on Seattle's third play from scrimmage. Highlights aside, though, he repeatedly challenged defenders, spun out of tackles and battled for extra yardage. We like Thomas Rawls, but Michael, who finished with two scores, has earned the chance to fly as the volume-heavy hot hand while Seattle prepares for the Jets, Falcons and Cardinals over their next three dates.
- Blaine Gabbert started 9-of-10 passing, which serves as another example of a football box score's oft-meaningless nature. The offense fell massively flat against Seattle's premier defense, with Gabbert (14-of-25 passing for just 119 yards) generating seven punts and converting just 4-of-15 third downs. After predictably shining in Week 1, the 49ers have given up an outrageous 83 points over the past two weeks.
- After just four catches for 53 yards over the first two games, Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham was a difference-maker on Sunday, carving up the Niners for 100 yards off six grabs. Both Graham and Doug Baldwin (8/164/1) surpassed the 100-yard mark before halftime for a Seahawks attack that outgained San Francisco 316-to-126 over the first 30 minutes. Even after Wilson departed, Boykin kept the offense alive with a pretty touchdown pass to Baldwin.
- Fantasy Hot Takers will drool over Carlos Hyde's final line, but real life presents a concerning scenario for San Francisco's back. Teams like Seattle don't fear Gabbert, leaving them to key on Hyde (21/102/2) without looking back. He fell victim to a come-from-behind game script until scoring a pair of touchdowns and a two-point conversion in super-garbage time.
