The San Francisco 49ers, playing a Thursday Night Thanksgiving Day game at home, were exposed and embarrassed by the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. After two earlier Thanksgiving Day game blowouts (Eagles 33, Cowboys 10; Lions 34, Bears 17) I was ready for the highly hyped defensive battle that pitted the teams who met in last season's NFC Championship game. The match-up would save the day for the NFL.
Oh well, so much for saving grace performances in professional football. The Seattle Seahawks played like champions while the 49ers clearly looked like 2014 pretenders. I waited for the Niners to make that game changing play that would turn their night and make it a competitive affair. The game changer never came and the Seahawks would walk off the field with a decisive Turkey Day victory (Seahawks 19, 49ers 3).
This day after finds sports talk radio fielding calls from irate Niner fans trying to wrap their heads around what's wrong with their team. CEO Jed York apologized to 49er fans for an unacceptable performance by his team. Now it seems the Niners, now longshots to make the playoffs, are in total disarray. Folks are blaming everything from the head coach to the new pristine home stadium and its fair-weather fans, for the Niners drop in performance. Its hard to believe that a team with such individual talent, coming off a super bowl appearance sandwiched by two championship games the past three years, can fall to failure so fast.
Is it possible that as a team they just aren't that good anymore? If you ask Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman; the Niners offensively were never that good. Who am I to argue with Sherman, the player with two interceptions in the game, seen eating a victory turkey leg while fielding questions during the post-game interview taking place atop the 49ers logo at midfield. Sherman, always a showman, bit into that turkey leg like it was the meat of sweet victory. It was!
The 49ers come to Oakland Coliseum for their next game. They'll have plenty of time to lick their wounds and try to regain the respect of their fans. The Raiders, coming off their first win of the season, take on the St. Louis Rams this Sunday. Should the silver and black come out victorious in St. Louis, they'll be pumped to get back to the bay and attempt to stretch their winning streak to three games. Even should they lose in St. Louis, the battle of the bay is a game that needs no incentive. Never has the Raiders moniker "Just Win Baby" meant as much as this battle of the bay, where they can put a dagger in the Niners playoff hopes. Who knew that it could be the Raiders playing in a trap game this weekend, as they lick their chops looking past the Rams for a chance to take their bay rivals down a notch.
Just Win Baby!
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