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49ers vs. Seahawks: The good, bad and ugly from San Francisco in Week 2

By Peter Panacy

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive end Frank Clark #55 of the Seattle Seahawks, left, celebrates sacking quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers with teammates, including defensive end Michael Bennett #72 during the third quarter of the game at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr /Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive end Frank Clark #55 of the Seattle Seahawks, left, celebrates sacking quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers with teammates, including defensive end Michael Bennett #72 during the third quarter of the game at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr /Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 17: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers sits on the bench during the fourth quarter of the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 12-9. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 17: Quarterback Brian Hoyer #2 of the San Francisco 49ers sits on the bench during the fourth quarter of the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 17, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 12-9. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /

The Ugly

Week 2 serves as a reminder just how far away the 49ers are from being a truly competitive team.

If there was any semblance of an offense, there’s a real chance the Niners pull off a major upset over a Seahawks team playing at home. That alone would have been special.

Yet the San Francisco offense managed just 248 total yards, and only 89 of those came through the air.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer

Yes, quarterback Brian Hoyer knows head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Does that mean he’s effective, though?

Probably not as much.

Hoyer’s line was 15-of-27 for 99 yards and an interception — a passer rating of 48.2. And that interception, picked off by Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, looked eerily like the one Hoyer tossed to Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly in Week 1.

And Hoyer nearly repeated this mistake again in the second half.

This marks two games in which Hoyer has been less than effective under center. There isn’t much of a fix, as throwing in rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard likely won’t lead to better results.

Time of Possession

Some may think the time-of-possession battle is overrated, but it was pretty clear this was a factor for the Niners here.

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Seattle handily won this contest 36:58 to 23:02, and going 8-of-19 on third down certainly helped the Seahawks’ cause. And it’s equally compounded by San Francisco getting just two third-down conversions on 12 attempts.

The Niners defense held its own for most of the game, but it was pretty clear this unit was gassed in the fourth quarter.

A well-rested defense probably would have kept quarterback Russell Wilson’s fourth-quarter scrambles in check to a certain degree, perhaps altering the eventual outcome.

Things won’t get much easier for San Francisco, offensively, as it has to contend with a tough Rams defense on Thursday Night Football in Week 3.

So one can only hope the Niners find any sort of offensive rhythm.

Next: 49ers vs. Seahawks: Live Week 2 thread for San Francisco

And soon.