The lasting image for Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald of one of the most critical plays of the most important win of the 2025 season came after it was over.
Not that Macdonald didn’t enjoy watching Kenneth Walker III weave his way down field to pick up 19 yards on a third-and-17 in the third quarter.
“It was a heck of a run by Ken, Macdonald said of a play that dealt a critical blow to the 49ers when they were still clinging to life.
The Seahawks led just 10-3 and a 7-yard loss on a fumbled exchange between Sam Darnold and Zach Charbonnet on first down moved the Seahawks back to their own 25, with an incomplete pass following on second down.
If the 49ers simply held the Seahawks to 16 yards or less, they would punt and the 49ers would get the ball with a chance to cut into the lead or tie or possibly take the lead heading into the final quarter.
“Third-and-17, we’ve got to get off the field,” 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said.
To the untrained eye, it appeared the Seahawks were about to let the 49ers do just that, calling a toss play to Walker to the right, the kind of play teams often call when they’ve decided to go the safe route and settle for a punt rather than calling a pass and risking an interception or a further loss in yards.
Anyone paying close attention to the Seahawks, though, knows that those plays are when the offense may be at its most dangerous.
As Walker took the pitch, a moving wall of Seahawks appeared in front of him guiding him to open field.
Walker was barely touched until he was about 13 yards downfield, where he used a spin move and a head of steam to draft 49ers defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos for the final 5 yards to a first down.
As teammates realized what was happening they began to celebrate, two in particular — receivers Jake Bobo and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had thrown key blocks (Bobo made contact with three 49ers).
One of those two, Smith-Njigba, finished with more receiving yards than any player in the NFL this season. The other, Bobo, has just two catches during an often frustrating third NFL season.
Yet here they were, each appearing as happy about blocks they’d thrown on a running play than any reception they’d made all season, Bobo leaping and waving his arm in a first-down signal, Smith-Njigba holding out his arm in a first-down motion as Walker got the final needed yards.
“My favorite part of the play is Bobo and Jax celebrating more than anybody else,” Macdonald said. “Two receivers on a third-and-long, who got their guys blocked and sprang the run that got Ken the first down. … There’s a lot of great blocking going on in that play, and then to see the guys celebrate like that for the success of the team and their teammate was really cool.”
Macdonald called it a play that symbolizes one of the team’s favored slogans.
“That’s a ‘12 as One’ play,” Macdonald said. “Everybody hit their targets and their blocks.”
As the play ended, the ESPN broadcast switched to a shot of 49ers general manager John Lynch in the press box, holding his hands to his head in disbelief.
The play kick-started a drive that ended in a field goal and gave the Seahawks a 13-3 lead early in the fourth quarter.
“Those types of plays can’t happen,” Lenoir said.
They usually don’t.
It was reported by several outlets after the game that there have been only four times all season a team has converted a third down of 15 yards or longer with a designed run — all four by the Seahawks.
A closer look shows the Seahawks actually have five.
Walker has three:
• A touchdown on a third-and-goal play from the 19-yard line in Week 2 at Pittsburgh.
• A 17-yard gain on third-and-16 against the Rams on Dec. 18.
• And Saturday night’s run.
Zach Charbonnet has one:
• A 25-yard run on third-and-15 in the first quarter at Carolina that led to a field goal.
There’s also one that’s easy to forget — Velus Jones Jr. gained 25 yards to convert a third-and-14 in the waning seconds of the blowout win over the Falcons (that Jones is listed as a receiver by many outlets leads to some confusion in how his plays are categorized).
Walker’s runs against the Steelers and 49ers and Charbonnet’s against the Panthers all came on runs to the perimeter, plays that are part of the outside zone scheme that is the core of the Seahawks’ rushing attack. Walker’s run against the Rams was a simple handoff up the middle on which he managed to weave through traffic and get the necessary yardage.
There was almost a sixth — Walker gained 13 yards on a third-and-14 against Houston on Oct. 20.
Walker also got 16 on a third-and-30 against Carolina, which combined with a 53-yard punt helped flip the field from the Seahawks 11 to the Panthers 20.
For the season, per Pro Football Reference, the Seahawks have gained 166 yards on 18 runs on third-and-10 or longer, with Walker gaining 98 yards on nine such attempts.
Also via Pro Football Reference, the Seahawks have picked up more first downs running the ball on third-and-10 or longer than it has passing.
The Seahawks have just four first downs on 33 pass attempts on plays of third-and-10 or longer.
Sam Darnold is 23 of 32 on pass plays of third-and-10 or longer for 200 yards, his longest completion good for 24 yards — that coming to Cooper Kupp against the 49ers on Saturday on the drive after Walker’s run as they kept the ball for 8:01 to help seal the win.
Macdonald, who calls the defensive plays, says that defenses can often approach runs on third-and-longs “like it’s a give up,” he said this week on his radio show on Seattle Sports 710.
While Macdonald didn’t say it, the obvious implication is that defenses might be caught off-guard when the run begins to break for some yards.
The trick for the offense is to not approach it as a give-up play, said offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
“Kudos to our guys for not taking that down off,” he said last week about Charbonnet’s run against the Panthers.
“Third-and-long and to go make a play,” Kubiak. “That’s a huge morale boost in the game. Keep a drive alive.
And help define a season.