All49ers Week 4 Preview
Here's what four All49ers writers think will go down Sunday when the 49ers play the Seattle Seahawks.
Jessie Naylor
Week 4 is upon us and it couldn't be any more of a pivotal game for the San Francisco 49ers or the Seattle Seahawks. With a win, the 49ers would be second in the NFC West but a loss would mean last place. Seattle loses, they are in even worse shape, last in the NFC West, just one win and three losses with the Los Angeles Rams on the docket next. Surprisingly the 49ers offense coached by Kyle Shanahan has been anemic in large periods of each game this season.
The good news is Elijah Mitchell should be a go this week. The addition of Mitchell will be welcomed by an offense that ran for just 67 yards in Week 3. As bad as the 49ers offense has been at times, the Seahawks defense has been worse. Question is, can the 49ers expose the obvious weaknesses?
My guess is no. Seattle has a secondary that is ripe for the picking but the 49ers have shown to be more than reluctant with downfield throws. Jimmy Garoppolo has attempted just four passes beyond 20 yards and just five passes beyond 10 yards at or outside the numbers. Of these limited attempts, Garoppolo has completed just one pass which came in week one to Deebo Samuel. Bottom line, I trust Russell Wilson to take advantage of the 49ers own secondary woes a lot more than I do Garoppolo capitalizing on Seattle's porous defense. Unfortunately, I have the Seahawks winning this extremely important tilt.
Final Prediction: Seattle 27 - San Francisco 23
Ben Meyerson
On paper, the 49ers should win this game versus the Seahawks, just like they should have won on paper against the Packers.
Both of those teams have X-Factor QBs who can bend the game to their will and win despite all the odds and advantages. Seattle has played well against the 49ers, and Russell Wilson in particular has been excellent against them.
The line is -3.0 SF for a reason -- this game is coin flip and the 49ers have the home advantage. While they can win this game, anything can happen in this game. I really mean ANYTHING.
The 49ers can win with ball control, so hopefully Kyle Shanahan commits to the run and helps his team read Seattle's coverages and fronts better than Green Bay’s.
Also, use more Trey Lance. The 49ers should start the kid in my opinion. Right now Garoppolo is the starter, so just sprinkle in Lance. Get more creative on both sides and you can win, I’ll take the -3.0.
Final Prediction: 49ers 24 - Seahawks 20
Chuy Marquez
The 49ers are coming off their first loss of the season and this week they will go as far as Shanahan’s play calling takes them. The Seahawks defense is on a historically bad pace and the 49ers match up well against their weaknesses. Seattle ranks 30th in rush defense and 27th against the pass. The Seahawks lack speed at the linebacker position which will lead to struggles with the outside zone run that is the 49ers bread and butter and also against big pass plays in the middle of the field. This lines up perfectly for Garoppolo to have a big game and finally get the offense going. George Kittle and Jamal Adams will be an interesting matchup but Adams lacks the coverage skills or speed to slow him down. Expect Kittle to have a big game.
Russell Wilson will be Russell Wilson and he will shred the 49ers secondary. I do expect the 49ers to mix up their defensive fronts and have a stronger game against the run but the Seahawks will still score a lot of points in this contest as the 49ers will have no answer for Tyler Lockett or DK Metcalf. The 49ers run defense will be the difference in this tight game.
Final Prediction: This will be a shootout, 49ers 46 - Seahawks 41
Waruna Perera
Last week I predicted that the Packers would beat the 49ers. The 49ers are 3-14 against Seahawks over the previous eight years, which is beyond embarrassing. The offense is struggling while cornerbacks are bleeding. The Seahawks are 1-2 coming into this game, but Wilson can tear apart this defense. The problem is the 49ers do not have the talent to fight fire with fire.
The game will be more of a reality check on things to come for the 49ers. The team relied on a top defense and a top running game to offset the limitations at the quarterback position. It would be interesting to see if Garoppolo will try deep shots in this game. A record of 2-3 by the bye week is a possibility as things have lined up right now.
Final Prediction: Seahawks win 31-27
