SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. — Could this be the win that changes the course of the Seattle Seahawks season?
The Seahawks rallied from behind to beat the San Fransico 49ers 20-17 on Sunday afternoon, improving to 5-5 this season.
Here are three takeaways from the Seahawks' dramatic victory over a division rival.
Clutch Geno
The Seahawks' postseason hopes nearly took another big hit Sunday. With the Seahawks staring at a sixth loss, the team's pathway to a wild-card berth looked especially thin (this season it's looking like 10 or 11 wins can secure a wild-card playoff spot).
Then Geno Smith did what Geno Smith does: Orchestrate a perfect fourth quarter comeback.
The veteran signal caller methodically led the Seahawks 80 yards on 11 plays to score a go-ahead touchdown with under 30 seconds remaining.
Last season, Smith led the National Football League with five game-winning drives and four fourth quarter comebacks. The Seahawks desparetely needed some more of that Geno magic.
Defensive improvement
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald's calling card when he was hired in his years of leading elite defensive units.
For the first three weeks of the season, the Seahawks allowed just 14.3 points per game and 249 yards per game.
But Seattle has not been able to sustain that quality of defense: Over the last six games, Macdonald's unit allowed 29.7 points per game and over 400 yards per game.
The Seahawks showed marked improvement against a talented San Francisco 49ers, who were stifled in the passing game and unable to create explosive plays for running back Christian McCaffrey.
NFC West division update
With less than two months left in the season, here is what the NFC West playoff picture looks like.
- Arizona Cardinals: 6-4
- Los Angeles Rams: 5-5
- Seattle Seahawks: 5-5
- San Fransico 49ers: 5-5
