The Seahawks are in free fall, and frustrations are mounting

By Matt Calkins
Seattle Times columnist
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There is some nuance to that late-game fracas, which will be touched on later in this space. But the optics symbolized something all too real in the Seahawks’ camp.
As Seattle receiver DK Metcalf tussled with San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner after a game-sealing interception — prompting a near 22-man scuffle and a Metcalf ejection — it seemed clear: Save for that Super Bowl loss nearly eight years ago, the Seahawks have never been this frustrated in the Pete Carroll era.
This, ladies and gentleman, is a free fall.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey races 72-yards down the field on the first play from scrimmage setting up the 49ers first touchdown during the first quarter Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 in Santa Clara, Calif. 225695
Sunday’s 28-16 defeat at the hands of the 49ers marked the first time Seattle has lost four straight games since Carroll took over as coach before the 2010 season. It also was the fifth consecutive time — all over a two-season span — that the Niners topped the Seahawks, with the wins coming by an average of 15.2 points.
An NFC West title appeared to (maybe?) be in play in mid-November when Seattle stood atop the division at 6-3. Now that the Seahawks are 6-7, the New York Times’ playoff-predictor gives them a mere 16% chance of making the postseason.
No doubt that two meetings with the 49ers (10-3) and one with the Cowboys (10-3) over the past 17 days provided a trio of particularly daunting tasks. Next Monday’s matchup with the 10-3 Eagles could prove equally dire.
But when you have a defense this porous, and an offense this inconsistent, getting the best of any NFL team seems suspect on a given week.
“We just gotta figure out how to get a win, gotta play better and stop shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, whose team was outgained 527 yards to 324.
Seattle defensive tackle Jarran Reed was a touch more direct.
Is this turning into desperation?
“It’s a tough question, but I would say it,” said Reed, implying a yes. “We gotta realize that if we lose and keep losing it’s going to be tough to get to the playoffs.”
The Seahawks’ defensive woes (they rank 28th in the NFL in total defense) were on display immediately Sunday when they gave up a 72-yard run to Christian McCaffrey on the first play of the game. It’s hard to argue that they “got settled” after that dash, either, as quarterback Brock Purdy torched them for 368 yards on 19-of-27 passing.
The most jarring stat was that San Francisco gained 9.9 yards per play — the kind of number you’d see if Alabama took on Portland State. But when you give up 10 plays of 20 or more yards, and four plays of at least 44 yards, those are the kind of averages you get.
To be fair, the Seahawks were within five points early in the fourth quarter thanks to a three-play, 78-yard, third-quarter touchdown drive by backup quarterback Drew Lock, who was playing in place of an injured Geno Smith. Even so, it’s doubtful a single uninebriated onlooker would have put their money on Seattle at that point.
The 49ers were too effortless in the way they moved the ball, and answered the Lock-led score with a three-play, 75-yard TD drive on their next possession. They might have gone up by 19 one drive later, but receiver Brandon Aiyuk fumbled inside Seattle’s 30.
A win in Santa Clara simply never seemed like it would happen for Seattle. The spread favoring the 49ers by 15 1/2 points suggested as much. And unfortunately for the Seahawks, the lasting image in most viewers’ minds from Sunday is Metcalf grabbing Warner by the facemask late in the fourth quarter and shoving him away.
In Metcalf’s defense, Warner did hit him in the back of the head before DK retaliated. Metcalf had erroneously assumed that Warner still had the ball when he slammed him to the ground seconds earlier, prompting Warner’s own retaliatory response. It seemed to be a legitimate misunderstanding, but the result was chaotic.
Kind of like Seattle’s last four games.
“It’s been too many weeks coming on with losses and it’s been hard for all of us,” Carroll said after the loss. “This is the challenging portion of the season for us. We’re going to see if we can make it through it. The fourth quarter of this season is still there for us to be able to do something with it and we’ll see if we can.”
This season isn’t over yet, but the finger is moving closer to the delete key. Now we’ll see if the Seahawks have some fight in them where it actually counts.