Picks to Click: Seahawks at 49ers
In a battle at the bottom of the NFC West, the 1-2 Seahawks have to find a way to walk out of Levi's Stadium with a win and get back to .500 this Sunday. However, the 49ers pose yet another major hurdle for Pete Carroll's crew to overcome. If they can't, a 1-4 start on the year becomes all the more likely with a Thursday night bout against the Rams awaiting them just four days later.
Of course, Seattle has dominated San Francisco in the Russell Wilson era. Including playoffs, Wilson and the Seahawks have gone 15-4 versus the 49ers over the first nine years of the quarterback's career. And what a poetic outcome it would be for Wilson and Carroll to get their 100th overall win together—and stave off a disastrous start—against their biggest rival.
If they do it, here are the five Seahawks who will help them get there.
WR DK Metcalf
Tyler Lockett (hip), Dee Eskridge (concussion) and Metcalf (foot) all wound up on the injury report this week and were either limited or a non-participant in practice at one point or another. Metcalf and Lockett appear set to suit up, with the former coming off his best game of the season so far. Now the duo will face off against a 49ers secondary missing cornerbacks Jason Verrett (torn ACL), K'Waun Williams (calf) and Josh Norman (chest). As a result, Metcalf may get another chance to feast on Emmanuel Moseley, who gave up 120 yards and two touchdowns when covering him in the Seahawks' 37-27 win over the 49ers in Week 8 last year. But even if it's veteran Dre Kirkpatrick or rookie Deommodore Lenoir instead, Seattle's All-Pro wideout is in line for a monster day at the office.
TE Will Dissly
With Gerald Everett unlikely to play following a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Dissly will slot in at the top of Seattle's tight end depth chart in Santa Clara. After seeing zero targets in Week 2 and just one in Week 3—which he took for 39 yards—it's time for the fourth-year tight end to get more involved in the passing attack. In his few opportunities this year, he's looked more like the player we saw in 2018 and 2019. It seems as if he has a little extra juice than he did last season, proving he can make plays if given the chance.
DE Kerry Hyder
Able to return to practice in full fashion this week, Hyder (concussion) gets his first shot at the team that helped put him back on the NFL map. Going up against a formidable 49ers offensive line—with some one-on-ones versus right tackle Mike McGlinchey on the docket—winning in the trenches will not come easy, especially for a Seahawks defensive line that has struggled to generate consistent penetration over the last two weeks. Nevertheless, Hyder has been one of the team's more effective D-linemen thus far and could be a difference-maker in this one.
DT Poona Ford
Ford is the least of Seattle's concerns on defense right now, but his game-wrecking ability hasn't really shone through just yet. Despite getting some solid performances out of him and Al Woods through the first three weeks of the season, his unit has been gashed for the third-most rushing yards per game (155.0), breaking down in the trenches as games progress. While this isn't the most opportunistic matchup for Ford and company to turn things around, it feels as if a breakout is on the horizon for the fourth-year man out of Texas. In six career games against the 49ers, Ford has 2.0 sacks on six pressures with 14 tackles. Don't be surprised if you hear his name called on multiple occasions in this one.
LB Jordyn Brooks
Of the Seahawks defenders who've disappointed thus far, Brooks may be the biggest surprise. Struggling in coverage and playing undisciplined in key moments, the second-year linebacker out of Texas Tech has suddenly found himself in a platoon role with Cody Barton. But if there was a matchup that could help him quickly put his woeful start in the rearview mirror, it would be this one. Brooks gives Seattle its best chance to stack up with a speedy San Francisco offense in the second level. He's going to be crucial in keeping gains to a minimum and eliminating a banged-up 49ers rushing attack. And if All-Pro tight end George Kittle (calf) can't go, that will make Brooks' life all the more easier on Sunday.
