The Seattle Seahawks dropped their first game since November 11

on Sunday Jaron Brown Color Rush Jersey , falling to the 49ers on a rainy afternoon in San Francisco. The surface was dreadful and the officiating was questionable, as the Seahawks failed to clinch a playoff spot. Injuries to Jordan Simmons and Bradley McDougald put Seattle in a bind on both sides of the ball, and both replacements would be flagged for key penalties. Check out the Seahawks’ snap counts below: Running back usage in Rashaad Penny’s absenceIf there was any reason for optimism around Penny’s knee injury, just as the rookie was getting going, it was that J.D. McKissic was likely to get more opportunities. McKissic doubled his season snap count on offense, from three to six. A fourth snap on Sunday was wiped out by penalty, canceling a great catch up the sideline by McKissic. Carson and Davis had nearly an equal split, dominating the backfield, with Carson playing 52% of the offense’s snaps and Davis 44%. Austin Calitro back in the foldUpon returning from suspension in Week 14 Tre Flowers Color Rush Jersey , Mychal Kendricks immediately took back the starting job alongside Bobby Wagner. Upon going on injured reserve, Austin Calitro then took his place back. Calitro played 85% of the defense’s snaps, appearing to play as steady as he has been all season. Though Calitro does provide comfortable depth, it’s fair to wonder how much Bradley McDougald’s injury influenced Calitro’s playing time. McDougald’s exit led to Delano Hill starting, meaning he couldn’t play as the third safety in big sub packages. Not that Seattle completely went away from it: Shalom Luani played 11% of the defense’s snaps in Hill’s vacated role, his most notable moment being a crunching hit on Nick Mullens. Poona Ford shines in expanded role It was Nazair Jones inactive on Sunday, and Ford made the most of his opportunity. Ford has been a tremendous part of the rotation all season, but Week 15 saw him skip past Shamar Stephen, playing 50% to Stephen’s 37%. It appears as though the Seahawks have solidified the interior of their line for the foreseeable future David Moore Color Rush Jersey , with Ford and Jarran Reed forming a terrific duo. Here’s The Athletic’s Sam Gold on Ford’s strong play on Sunday:Seattle will now try and clinch a wildcard spot in an extremely tough matchup against the Chiefs in Week 16. Though outside help could push them into January, all it takes is a win for the Seahawks to clinch. ASHBURN, Va. (AP)The Washington Redskins signed former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson to a five-year deal in the hopes that he provides them the outside speed threat they lacked last season after the departure of DeSean Jackson.Richardson had 95 catches for 1,302 yards and eight touchdowns in four seasons with the Seahawks after they drafted him in the second round in 2014. He had 44 receptions for 703 yards and six touchdowns last season.The 25-year-old said he can ”beat guys downfield, take the top off the coverages, challenge people downfield.” He’ll be tasked to do that after his breakout 2017.”Stretch the offense, stretch the defense,” senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said Thursday.”When the defense knows that you don’t have the speed, they all come up and just cover you up and make you throw the ball underneath and it kind of kills the offense. Now they’ve got to respect Paul Richardson.”According to multiple reports https://www.theseahawksfanshop.com , Richardson’s deal is worth $40 million. Richardson joins a Redskins receiving group that also includes Jamison Crowder, 2016 first-round pick Josh Doctson and Brian Quick, who was re-signed this week.The Redskins will look very different in the passing game with recently acquired quarterback Alex Smith replacing Kirk Cousins and receivers Ryan Grant and Terrelle Pryor and tight end Niles Paul gone. Richardson said he looks forward to developing chemistry and trust with Smith.”I want him to know I’m always available,” Richardson said. ”Just throw it. It don’t matter where it is. I’m going to go get it. And I’m going to turn him into a believer.”On Thursday, Washington wrapped up a three-year deal with linebacker Zach Brown, who led the league with 127 tackles through Week 15 before his season was cut short by injury.”We’re glad to have Zach back,” coach Jay Gruden said. ”To have him in his second year in this system is very important. He’ll be a lot more comfortable. To get him back here for another year is important for our defense.”Washington also signed former Dallas Cowboys punter Sam Irwin-Hill, according to a tweet from his agent. The 27-year-old figures to be training camp competition for established punter Tress Way.—