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The Seattle Seahawks took away everything that makes the San Francisco 49ers successful in their 13-3 win Saturday night. Seattle continues to show it can win in many different ways and take care of business against the best teams in the NFL.
Here are my takeaways from the Seahawks' huge win over the 49ers:
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Sam Darnold won't have to do too much to win a Super Bowl
Against the 49ers, all Sam Darnold had to do was take care of the ball and connect with Jaxon Smith-Njigba a couple of times, and it was a good game for him. If he can continue to do that, his defense and run game can honestly take care of the rest. The formula the Seahawks displayed against the 49ers is the formula that could very well win them the Super Bowl. The Seahawks' defense is good enough to limit every offense left in the NFC to less than 20 points if they can do that to the 49ers. Even if that is not the case, the Seahawks still should feel confident they can win a shootout against a team like the Rams because they did it 3 weeks ago.
Seahawks' run game will make them even more dangerous in the playoffs
The Seahawks' run game has been proven in the last 3 big games. Against the Rams, Kenneth Walker had 100 yards on the ground and a touchdown. He had a lesser day against Carolina, still posting up 55 yards. In that game, Zach Charbonnet had 110 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fast forward to Saturday, and both of their backs dominated. Walker and Zach Charbonnet both had at least 70 yards on the ground, and Zach Charbonnet had a touchdown. This two-headed monster is becoming very dangerous at the right time. If you couple this run game with the best defense in the NFL, this team becomes a nightmare for its opponents.
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Seahawks' defense will give them the edge in any matchup
The Seahawks have a finalist for defensive rookie of the year and Pro Bowlers at almost every level of their defense. They can take the run game away from you and hold your best weapons to less than 40 yards. The best example of how good this run defense is that it held Christian McCaffrey to just 23 yards. Any of the dominant offenses in the NFC will be staying up all night long to find ways to beat this Seahawks defense. The Seahawks made Brock Purdy look like a rookie Saturday night, after he just had back-to-back games with 5 touchdowns. The Seahawks will be a favorite in every game with their defense.
Mike Macdonald is NFL Coach of the Year
In a matchup of best offensive coach versus best defensive coach, Mike Macdonald came out on top convincingly. Kyle Shanahan and this 49ers offense had no answer for Mike Macdonald's offensive strategy; they looked outmatched in every phase of the game. This was a game that already had a lot on the line, and the Seahawks came out on top, taking everything, and Mike Macdonald, in my opinion, stole coach of the year from Shanahan. Being a defensive coach winning the toughest division in the NFL, one that features 3 playoff teams, and getting the 1st seed in the NFC. That should amount to being the coach of the year.
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Seahawks are now in great position to win it all
Everything in the NFC now runs through Seattle. The Seahawks have their run game looking unstoppable, and their defense is the best in the NFL. Mix in all of that with how crazy of an environment the 12th man in Seattle can be, and if there isn't some sort of collapse, the Seahawks should represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Sam Darnold has also shown he can adjust and be whatever Seattle needs him to be to win a football game. The biggest obstacle for Seattle come playoff time will be themselves.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Seahawks in great position for Super Bowl run after win vs 49ers
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