{"id":359682,"date":"2025-09-11T14:37:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/359682\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T14:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T14:37:10","slug":"nfl-analyst-seahawks-played-not-to-lose-vs-49ers-on-critical-4th-down-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/359682\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL analyst: Seahawks played \u2018not to lose\u2019 vs. 49ers on critical 4th down call"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week on The Hawks Eye Podcast, NFL analyst Garret Greenlee (of the Football Analysis <\/a>website and YouTube channel<\/a>) joined the show for a deep dive into the NFL\u2019s opening weekend, the NFC West landscape, and most importantly, the Seattle Seahawks\u2019 tough last-minute loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which included a questionable coaching decision by Mike Macdonald.<\/p>\n

The episode opened with a fast-paced round of \u201cFact or Fiction\u201d, where Garret and I sorted through some of the league\u2019s biggest Week One narratives. Are headlines like \u201cthe Cowboys are in trouble\u201d or \u201cthe Dolphins\u2019 offense has stalled\u201d legitimate concerns, or just the typical overreactions that come with the first game of the year? The goal was to separate real warning signs from early-season noise and set the table for a bigger conversation about where teams truly stand.<\/p>\n

We then shifted focus to the NFC West, where both the Cardinals and Rams offered intriguing performances. Arizona showed some fight, but the real story was Los Angeles. The Rams looked sharp, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where their young players played with confidence and discipline. Meanwhile, the 49ers didn\u2019t look nearly as dominant as many expected. They remained a competitive, well-coached team, but the performance left open questions about just how much separation exists between them and the rest of the division. Injuries are already taking a toll on the team, including to Brock Purdy and George Kittle.<\/p>\n

The heart of the conversation focused on the Seahawks vs 49ers matchup. I asked Garret whether Seattle\u2019s struggles revealed deeper issues within the roster and coaching staff, or if they were simply the byproduct of running into a tough divisional opponent in Week One. We broke down Klint Kubiak\u2019s offensive game plan, questioning whether the approach was too focused on trying to outsmart Robert Saleh\u2019s defense. In the process, Seattle struggled to lean into the identity the team had preached about all offseason \u2014 being a tough, physical running team. Then there\u2019s Mike Macdonald kicking a field goal on 4th and 1 in the San Francisco red zone, which gave Seattle a lead it could not hold. Seattle could\u2019ve gone for it and pushed for a touchdown or still kick a field goal with less time on the clock, but Macdonald \u201ctook the points,\u201d which Greenlee disagreed with.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always for stepping on the throat,\u201d Greenlee said. I don\u2019t want to be conservative with that. And it was fourth and one on the 49ers 19-yard line. There\u2019s three minutes left in the game at that point, especially with how much they invested in the offensive line, Seattle that is. I kind of want to just say like, \u2018Hey guys, I trust you. Let\u2019s go make something happen.\u2019 And I know Seattle only averaged 3.1 yards per carry, but you only need one. You don\u2019t need 15. You only need a yard. I personally would have said, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s go let\u2019s go win this game.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Kenneth Walker, I would have preferred to have seen him out there. That a situation for Kenneth Walker. Run the ball right up the middle, you know, gap concept, let him run behind the tackles and make a play. Even Sam Darnold could have also quarterback sneaked it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like the decision. Obviously I\u2019m more of a let\u2019s go for it [guy]. Let\u2019s go make something happen. That was kind of I felt like playing not to lose\u2014we\u2019ll take the points guys, you know. I thought it was playing not to lose. And they ended up losing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another key discussion centered on the running back rotation. On paper, Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet were supposed to form one of the league\u2019s more dynamic duos, giving Seattle balance and depth. But instead of being a clear strength, the timeshare raises real questions. Can the offense find rhythm when neither back fully establishes control? Or will what was once perceived as a cornerstone of the roster slowly become a weakness if the split limits both players\u2019 effectiveness?<\/p>\n

\u201cI would probably start the [Pittsburgh Steelers] game with Kenneth Walker,\u201d Greenlee said. \u201cTry and have a couple of of gap concepts early, try and pound the rock right up the gut. Even with him still in the game, run a couple play-action [passes]. If I\u2019m having my scripted plays, I\u2019d like to get Kenneth Walker at least three or four touches on the first drive. Really get him going and hit Cooper Kupp on a play-action concept just to, you know, have him run like a corner route. See if we can get him the ball in stride, pick up 12 or 14 yards, keep it going, keep moving the sticks, and pick up four or five in a cloud of dust with Kenneth Walker and pound the rock down the field. Within this, have a have a quick play to JSN, have a quick drag to JSN, have a play-action, timing-based route to Cooper Kupp, bring Charbonnet in for a carry just to to give Kenneth Walker a breather.<\/p>\n

\u201dLet [Walker] get those touches out of the way early\u2014or not those touches, but the early contact out of the way early, and then bring a fresh Zach Charbonnet into the game later. That way, he\u2019s fresh off the bench. You may have a fatigued defense and we can have our one-cut back [available] later in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

To close the episode, I ran Garret through a rapid-fire round covering bounce-back candidates, standout rookies, and which non-playoff teams from last season now look dangerous after Week One.<\/p>\n

The central theme was clear: Should Seahawks fans panic, or stay patient? As Garret and I emphasized, Week One offers clues \u2014 but it rarely defines a season.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to The Hawks Eye podcast<\/a>!0 Comments<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week on The Hawks Eye Podcast, NFL analyst Garret Greenlee (of the Football Analysis website and YouTube…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359683,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,7,6,1161,252,2624,2623,52201,52202],"class_list":{"0":"post-359682","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-49ers","8":"tag-49ers","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-san-francisco","12":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","13":"tag-sanfrancisco","14":"tag-sanfrancisco49ers","15":"tag-seattle-seahawks-analysis-and-opinion","16":"tag-seattle-seahawks-podcasts"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115186174817949008","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}