THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Optimism amidst another Seahawks loss

This may sound a bit odd, but …

I think the Seahawks played better on Thursday night than they have in a month.

Yep, they were bullied and battered by the relentless 49ers in a 21-13 loss — and they made some truly critical mistakes, the kind that utterly kill you against a team that’s busy winning its seventh straight game.

Still, for the first time in a while, the Hawks stood up for themselves at the line of scrimmage.

At least on defensive side of the ball.

(We’ll get to an obituary of the offense in a few moments.)

Basically, Seattle stopped the 49ers’ running game — holding Christian McCaffrey and Co. to a hardly awesome 117 yards on 31 carries, just 3.8 yards per attempt.

You’re right, I’ve subtracted the 55-yard stroll by backup Jordan Mason with the game already over (less than a minute remaining, Seahawks out of timeouts), plus QB Brock Purdy’s two kneel-downs at the end.

Overall, it was damn good work by a Seahawks team determined to be more physical and knock a few people around.

They forced six punts and a missed field goal, by the way.

ON TOP of that, the fierce effort against a good San Francisco run game came with nose guard Al Woods still missing with an Achilles injury — and with HIS backup, Bryan Mone, having blown out his knee in the first quarter.

Oh, and linebacker Jordyn Brooks, the team’s leading tackler, missed a sizeable chunk of the fourth quarter with a neck injury.

This isn’t likely to make anyone feel better, but that kind of slug-it-out play and solid execution along the front seven very well might have won earlier games against Carolina, Vegas, New Orleans, etc.

Now, I’m NOT making the case that the Seahawks are anywhere close to the 49ers in terms of talent — at least for now.

Right this moment, I suspect San Francisco could be called a co-favorite with the Eagles to win the NFC.

Despite the 49ers’ obvious superiority at so many spots, though, Thursday’s game could have gone to the wire — but for three crucial plays just before and after halftime.

First, safety Quandre Diggs dropped a Purdy throw that was right in his hands.

A pick there, with the 49ers up just 7-3, would have given Seattle the ball around midfield — or better, depending on Diggs’ return.

Then, with the score the same and the Seahawks seeing a shot at getting points before halftime, Travis Homer caught a throw from Geno Smith for a first down, and …

Got totally blasted by linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

Charvarius Ward scooped up Homer’s ensuing fumble, took it to the Seattle 6-yard line and, two plays later, it was 14-3.

I’m sure it doesn’t make the Seahawks feel any better — especially since they’re now 7-7 and perhaps no longer a serious playoff contender — but they took everything the 49ers could dish out (which was some serious violence) and were never quite blown out.

Despite the 49ers’ talent and the scheming of coach Kyle Shanahan, who devised a fake screen that produced an absurdly easy first TD on a pass to tight end George Kittle, this COULD have been another in the long series of final-series thrillers between these two division rivals.

Unfortunately, in addition to having the better personnel, the 49ers also avoided any key mistakes.

On the Seattle side, though …

Besides the gaffes already mentioned, the Seahawks busted a coverage on the second play of the third quarter — setting up a 54-yard TD throw to the wide-open Kittle.

Add up the major errors, and that’s a lot of points handed to a team like the 49ers.

It made the outcome predictable.

AH, THEN there was the matter of trying to produce yards and points against the San Francisco defense, which is the NFL’s best in every meaningful category.

I’ve seen criticism of Geno Smith over the past couple of days — how he’s reverted to the “no-name backup he’s always been” — and I’d like to respond.

Are you BLIND?

Smith had zero running game to help him (which has become an unpleasant theme), and with no option but to throw the ball, he spent the night running for his life.

I’ve heard from a couple of folks who suggested that it’s a shame Seattle doesn’t have 49ers rookie QB Purdy.

Oh, brother, if those two guys had switched places Thursday night, Purdy might be in the insurance business by now — and Smith could have thrown for 400 yards from a rocking chair.

You all MUST be kidding.

Geno somehow completed 31 of 44 passes for 238 yards, even though it’s hard to remember if he EVER had a clean pocket.

Trying to heave it on every down against the 49ers is something close to suicidal.

Smith surely spent most of Friday in the tub and/or getting patched up.

SO …

When you’re dreaming of all those fantastic defensive front players and linebackers coming from the 2023 draft, you might also want to think about adding some help along the offensive line — while hoping for the expected trial-by-fire improvement from current rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas.

I’m not suggesting that Geno should be QB1 in Seattle for the next decade, or that drafting a quarterback in a couple of years that Smith can tutor isn’t a bad idea.

However …

If you’re trying to picture the Seahawks as a playoff team with a legit shot to do some damage, Geno Smith should be pretty close to the LEAST of your concerns.

Anyhow, now what?

Tyler Lockett has a broken finger and might be out for the year — shoot, why not sit him down anyway?

Save his legs … and the rest of his limbs.

Look …

The Seahawks got handled by a considerably better team on Thursday night.

In the midst of that assessment, though, I believe we saw the green shoots of something exciting down the road.

I do.

Maybe it won’t take as long as you think, either.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday — but obviously, events like Seahawks games sometimes demand that schedule be chucked in the bin.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”