The 49ers attempted to spin their overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks as an opportunity to learn, make adjustments and, ultimately, become a better team.
The 49ers might have gotten an assist after the game from one of the Seahawks’ top defensive players.
“At the end of the day, it’s a good learning lesson for us,” 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said following his team's 27-24 overtime loss to the Seahawks, his former team, at Levi's Stadium.
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While the defense generally played well, the 49ers have plenty of room for improvement on offense. And their own self-scout might have received help from some observations coming from the other sideline.
Linebacker Bobby Wagner told Jim Trotter of NFL Media that he and veteran teammate K.J. Wright were able to decode 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s checks at the line of scrimmage.
“They’re a team that runs so many different things that it’s hard to get a tendency, but I felt like the last couple of times that we played them we were able to figure out what they were doing,” Wagner told Trotter.
Wagner said, “Because they run so many different things, it’s a game where you have to be disciplined and you just have to read your keys. It becomes kind of like simple football: Read your keys and it will take you to the football.”
San Francisco 49ers
Wagner said he and Wright were able to diagnose plays before they even developed.
“Once we started reading keys, me and K.J. started hearing the calls and picked up on the checks he was making, and it allowed us to break faster,” Wagner said.
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With the knowledge Wagner shared after the Seahawks’ victory, coach Kyle Shanahan and his staff should be able to make all the necessary adjustments for the next meeting between the teams in Week 17 to close out the regular season.
The 49ers (8-1) own a half-game lead on the Seahawks (8-2) in the NFC West standings.