Behind Enemy Lines: Five Questions With Seahawks Maven

It all comes down to week 17 to decide who will be the champion of the NFC west in 2019. The San Francisco 49ers have come on strong this season, while the Seattle Seahawks have strengthened their progression this season to become a threat in the NFC. The 49ers have the odds stacked against them heading into Sunday night. It has been eight years since they have at CenturyLink Field.

That advantage is sure to resonate on both teams, but should bolster the motivation for the 49ers. This is for all the marbles and if the 49ers can overcome the Seahawks, then they will be guaranteed a first-round bye along with homefield advantage throughout thr playoffs. All the pressure rides on the 49ers, but Seattle is also facing some heat as well.

To gain better insight on the Seahawks, I stepped behind enemy lines to ask five questions with Corbin Smith of Seahawks Maven to preview Sunday nights matchup.

1. Back in Week 10, I asked you if the Monday night matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks could reignite their rivalry. How does that look now that both teams will be duking it out for the division in one last showdown?

CS: While I was skeptical to an extent six weeks ago, I think it’s safe to say the rivalry has returned to 2012-2013 levels. When you have a game go down to the wire like the first matchup between these teams did and the stakes are far greater in the rematch, there’s a reason why there’s so much hype surrounding this prime time game.

It’s been circled on the calendar ever since Jason Myers’ last second field goal split the uprights and Seattle picked up the signature road win in Santa Clara on Veterans Day. Everyone has been itching to see these two teams that don’t like each other take the field again with hopes the final NFL regular season game turns into another instant classic.

2. It’s no secret that Sunday night is a crucial game for both teams. This is the time where the star players for each team need to show up. Russell Wilson is one of those stars who will garner much interest heading into this matchup. However, his performance since Week 10 has declined. He no longer looks like the lights out MVP candidate we talked about entering the first matchup. Why has his performance regressed? And do you believe he can pick it back up on Sunday night?

CS: I think numerous factors have played into Wilson’s statistical regression. For one, the offensive line has been dealing with multiple injuries and even when pressure isn’t coming, it feels like he is looking at the pass rush rather than his receivers downfield. He’s hearing footsteps when defenders aren’t always closing in on him and he’s creating pressure by trying to escape the pocket before he needs to.

Secondly, there’s been some instability at receiver. Tyler Lockett wasn’t healthy for several weeks after suffering a shin bruise the first game against the 49ers, Josh Gordon just got suspended again, and the team has continued to feel the loss of tight end Will Dissly.

3. Losing Chris Carson for the season looked like a decent blow to Seattle’s offense until they reunited with Marshawn Lynch earlier this week. He’s a great addition to help fill the hole left by Carson. Do you see Lynch being able to instantly takeover the same duties as Carson in terms of snaps and volume?

CS: Asking a 33-year old running back to climb off the couch and run the football in the NFL sounds ludicrous, but Lynch isn’t an ordinary running back. I think he came out of the womb looking for people to stiff arm and run over. Given his age and the fact he hasn’t played in a game for over a year, Seattle won’t and shouldn’t expect him to take over as the team’s bell cow back replacing Carson.

With that said, if he’s in as good of shape as the Seahawks have indicated this week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get 10-12 carries and find some success on the ground. He still looked to have something left in the tank before going on injured reserve with the Raiders last year and his presence should ignite the entire football team.

4. Duane Brown will be out of action on Sunday night, which means Jamarco Jones is in line to start. Jones did not have an ideal game to say the least against Arizona last week. He’ll have the duty of going up against Nick Bosa. He might even get some overloaded blitzes to his side to overwhelm him. Is there going to be an emphasis to provide support to Jones? And what are some ways that Seattle can hold the 49ers’ pass rush at bay?

CS: Jones actually played well earlier this season when he started twice in place of D.J. Fluker at right guard, but he certainly had his share of issues trying to block Chandler Jones last week. The Seahawks will definitely have to consider providing some help for him going against Bosa. I could see George Fant lining up next to him as an additional lineman for a fair number of snaps and running backs being sent to chip against the star rookie defensive end.

Getting the football out of Wilson’s hands quickly will also be beneficial to Jones, who has shown some promise in his limited chances. But I think getting the ground game going is arguably the most important way to keep Bosa at bay. Run at him a bit, try to get him worn down, and mitigate him impact pinning his ears back pursuing Wilson.

5. George Kittle was not active for the initial Week 10 matchup and his absence was clearly felt. This time around Kittle is relatively healthy and is slated to play on Sunday night. Seattle will have to plan around his threat as a receiver and a blocker. What do you think their defense can do to slow Kittle down? Also, if Quandre Diggs is not available how can the defense adjust without him?

CS: I’m really curious how Seattle will attempt to corral Kittle because of the injury situation. If Diggs somehow is able to play coming back from an ankle sprain, that creates additional flexibility for defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. He could opt to deploy some “big” nickel packages with Lano Hill in coverage against Kittle as they did last December.

Hill actually did a decent job in coverage against the star tight end, swatting away a pass intended for Kittle in the end zone and having another pass deflection negated by a questionable pass interference call. But if Diggs can’t play, Hill will be starting for him at free safety. Under those circumstances, cornerback Akeem King and safety Marquise Blair may be asked to cover Kittle, but they’ll need to have another defender shading him in coverage at all times and that creates opportunities for other 49er receivers.