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Five 49ers to Watch Against the Seahawks

The Seahawks and 49ers will play Sunday with the winner taking the NFC West crown. If San Francisco can go into Seattle and win for the first time since 2011, it would secure them a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Maverick Pallack|
Five 49ers to Watch Against the Seahawks
Five 49ers to Watch Against the Seahawks

The first installment of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks was dubbed the game of the year, and it did not disappoint. Despite falling in overtime to Seattle, the 49ers have since played two more “games of the year” against New Orleans and Baltimore, with both also coming down to a field goal.

Both the 49ers and Seahawks have suffered upset losses in recent weeks, possibly due to looking forward to this long awaited matchup. Thankfully, there will be no more waiting.

The Seahawks and 49ers will play Sunday with the winner taking the NFC West crown. If San Francisco can go into Seattle and win for the first time since 2011, it would secure them a first-round bye in the playoffs. But for that to happen, these five 49ers must have sound execution against the Seahawks.

Jimmie Ward

Travis Homer, a rookie with just eight career rush attempts, was the only Seattle running back to make it out of week 16 healthy. Having already lost reserve running back Rashad Penny three weeks ago, Seattle’s backfield was completely decimated this past Sunday, losing both Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise to injuries.

In their place will be two nostalgic pickups. Seattle signed Robert Turbin and franchise-icon Marshawn Lynch, both 2014 Super Bowl Champions, to help split carries in the backfield.

Homer and Lynch, who will receive the bulk of the carries, find themselves on quite opposite ends of the spectrum. Homer, who ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine, is an inexperienced speed-back. Lynch on the other hand, is a past-his-prime legend that is playing his first NFL game since Oct. of 2018.

Since strong safety Jaquiski Tartt was injured against Baltimore, Ward has been asked to help out a lot more in the run-game. His skills definitely favor more toward a coverage safety, but his agility and strength have translated well into defending the run.

With Homer, Ward won’t have to change much. The back holds no physical advantage over him and he should have no problem running him down and tackling him. But with Lynch, Ward must be more careful.

If Ward tries to tackle Lynch the same way he tackles Homer, results will not go in his favor. On 38 of Lynch’s 90 touches last season, it took at least two defenders to bring him down. The much more secure way to tackle Lynch is to grab him and hold on until more defenders arrive. It might not be the flashiest way to stop the run, but it surely is the safest.

Fred Warner

Although Lynch is dangerous, the 49ers shouldn’t game plan too hard around him. The offense is completely designed around Russell Wilson. San Francisco would likely be thrilled to see anyone but Wilson have the ball. The 49ers, especially linebacker Fred Warner, can’t get caught up in Lynch’s lore. Their focus should be directed toward Wilson.

The Seattle quarterback has never lost at home to the 49ers. He always seems to pull a rabbit out of his hat, especially when his team is backed against the wall. Despite his young receiving corps, he is tied with Patrick Mahomes for eighth in the NFL in passes over 25 yards. What makes him different from everyone else is not his mobility, it’s how he uses it.

Wilson is very quick, but he doesn’t scramble like Kyler Murray or Lamar Jackson, rather more like Aaron Rodgers. He’ll scramble for the first down yes, but usually when he runs, it’s to extend the play and find a receiver downfield. When he runs, defenders must make a split-second decision on whether they should continue their coverage or leave their man.

Warner, fresh off an elite 91.5 PFF grade (90.3 in pass coverage) against Los Angeles, will have a vital responsibility against Wilson. He’ll often need to make a decision on whether to charge at Wilson, or continue his pass coverage. Warner was quite the disrupter in his first battle with Seattle, recording 10 tackles, a pass deflection, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, two QB hits and a forced fumble. If the 49ers are to win on Sunday, he’ll need a similar impact this time around.

Arik Armstead

The Seahawks could be without left tackle Duane Brown on Sunday. If he’s unable to go, expect Jamarco Jones to start. Armstead’s 89.7 PFF grade is the third best for edge rushers, and that rating should go up against Jones.

In his first meeting with Seattle this season, Armstead had 1.5 sacks, a TFL, a QB hit and a forced fumble. That was with Brown at left tackle. His production would presumably increase with Brown’s backup drawing the start.

This season, Armstead has erased all “bust” notions that plagued him the first four years of his NFL career. He has started all 15 games this season, lined up all over the defensive line, and leads the 49ers with 10 sacks. That type of value is hard to replace. 

He is a major reason why the 49ers have a chance to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If he can force Wilson into mistakes, hold the edge and stop the run like he has done all season, the 49ers would have a great shot at winning.

Jimmy Garoppolo

After catching a touchdown pass in his first two games with the 49ers, Emmanuel Sanders had just two catches for 24 yards and was injured in the week 10 defeat against Seattle. This further bruised the San Francisco offense as team-MVP George Kittle was inactive for the game.

Deebo Samuel (112 yards) and Kendrick Bourne (42 yards and a touchdown) had solid games, but they also dropped some passes. Dante Pettis, who has since been buried on the depth chart, dropped a few passes as well. This time, however, the 49ers will have a full-strength air-attack, with a healthy Sanders and Kittle, as well as the more-developed Samuel and Bourne.

Kittle had five catches for 79 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ most recent win. Sanders was shut down for the most part (two catches for 15 yards), but came through when it mattered most, hauling in a wide-open 46-yard catch to help win the game. The week 10 defeat had a lot to do with ineffective pass-catchers.

 The 49ers won’t have that excuse this time around. Garoppolo, now possessing his full-arsenal, has a chance to be the first San Francisco quarterback to win in Seattle since Alex Smith.

The Offensive Line

With two reserves starting on the San Francisco offensive line, the Rams sacked Garoppolo six times.

A major factor in the Seattle week 10 win over the 49ers was their ability to not only get to Garoppolo, but strip the ball as well. The Seahawks had five sacks and two forced fumbles (one of which was returned for a touchdown). Their pass-rush won them the game.

That was the first game back for both Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey (who were probably rushed back too early) from their respective injuries. Weston Richburg was also injured and Ben Garland finished the game at center. Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed greeted them by exposing them on Monday Night Football.

This time, on Sunday Night Football, McGlinchey, Staley and Garland will all get a great shot at revenge. If they can keep Garoppolo upright, he should be able to fare much better with a healthy receiving corps. On the other hand, if Clowney and Reed impact the game like they did in week 10, the game could quickly snowball in Seattle’s favor at CenturyLink Field. 

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Maverick Pallack
MAVERICK PALLACK

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