The Best, Worst and Likeliest Scenarios for Seahawks in Week 5

The Seattle Seahawks are playing their first NFC West home game against the San Francisco 49ers, who eye playoff revenge following a Divisional Round loss.

Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori reacts after a play against the Los Angeles Chargers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seattle Seahawks are starting to practice as they prepare to face off against the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers for their Week 5 matchup at Lumen Field.

The Seahawks are hoping to get to 4-1, while the Niners are one of three teams that remain undefeated through the first month of the year. Here's a look at the best, worst, and likeliest scenarios for the game between the two rivals.

The Best: Seahawks Start Off Hot, Keep Foot on the Gas

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams celebrates on the field following an NFC Divisional Round game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The ideal script is exactly what happened in the divisional round game back in January. The Seahawks returned the kickoff from Rashid Shaheed all the way to the end zone to score on the game's first play, and the crowd energized them throughout. Seattle put their foot on the gas and won 41-6 against San Francisco, eliminating them from the playoffs.

It's hard to imagine an outcome like that happening again, but given how that was the previous meeting, the two teams are likely going to go all out for this game. If one team pushes all the right buttons and makes the right adjustments from their previous game, it could work out in Seattle's favor. Having Brian Fleury as the team's offensive coordinator could play a big role in the Seahawks' matchup.

The Worst: 49ers Take Their Anger Out on Seahawks

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on prior to the game against the Miami Dolphins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As simple as the Seahawks made it look against the 49ers in the divisional round, there's a chance that San Francisco could pull an Uno reverse card.

The 49ers have been one of the best teams in the league so far this season, winning three of their four games by 10 points or more. Their closest win came in Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, when they scored 36 points. San Francisco has found a way to score at least 24 points in each of their first four games, and that momentum could play a big role in this game against the Seahawks.

Most of the players on this year's team were there last season when they saw their season get cut short in Seattle. This is a return to the scene of the crime, and the 49ers have a score to settle. That could end up really hurting the Seahawks this week.

The Likeliest: Back-and-Forth Affair Decided at the End

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy scores a touchdown against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

These are two very evenly matched teams, and the stakes are very high for playoff implications. Even though it is only Week 5, this game could have the feel of a playoff matchup. It could also serve as a potential preview for what's to come in January for the NFC playoffs.

Seattle has been in every single game they've played this season, as their only loss came to the Washington Commanders by two points on the road. It's been just over a year since the Seahawks have lost a home game, dropping their Week 5 matchup a year ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lumen Field. It's possible that the 38-35 score is similar to what could happen on Sunday. The real question is: Which team will have the higher score?

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