5 Matchups to Watch in Seahawks NFC West Opener at 49ers

Familiar rivals will face off for the first time on Sunday and per usual, play in the trenches will be key for Seattle and San Francisco to open divisional play with a victory. Which matchups will have the greatest impact on the final outcome at Levis Stadium?

With both franchises looking to bounce back from tough losses and get off to a fast start in NFC West play, the Seahawks will fly down to Santa Clara for the first of two contests against the 49ers on Sunday.

Continuing to struggle offensively in the second half of games, Seattle allowed 23 unanswered points in a 30-17 loss to Minnesota last weekend, dropping to 1-2 on the season. Meanwhile, San Francisco dropped its first game of the season in gut-wrenching fashion, as Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers engineered a game-winning drive with less than 40 seconds to play as the home team fell 30-28.

Which matchups will be most critical to determining which team snags a signature win to kick off divisional play? Here are five matchups to keep an eye on as the two bitter rivals duke it out at Levis Stadium:

--Seahawks running backs Chris Carson, Alex Collins, and Travis Homer versus 49ers linebackers Fred Warner, Azeez Al-Shaair, and Marcell Harris: In previous matchups between these two teams, the Seahawks have had a tough time getting their ground game going. But that may not be the case in the rematch, as the 49ers have struggled defending the run through the first three weeks of the season, surrendering 367 yards and 4.7 yards per carry, which ranks 27th in the NFL currently. They've also had issues defending running backs out of the backfield, yielding 23 receptions for 165 yards and a touchdown to the position. Seattle hasn't featured Carson or Collins as receivers to this point, but both players have capable hands out of the backfield and Homer has caught five passes in the past two games. Along with establishing that trio on the ground, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron should make a concerted effort to make them part of the game plan in the passing game as well, stressing San Francisco's linebackers in coverage.

--Seahawks cornerbacks Tre Flowers, D.J. Reed, and Marquise Blair versus 49ers receivers Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Mohamed Sanu: It's well-documented how poorly Seattle's starting corners performed a week ago in Minnesota and there were coverage busts aplenty, but this may be a matchup that is a bit more favorable for the group based on skill sets. Flowers has been at his best when he can play press coverage and play physical football at the line of scrimmage, which should help him working against Samuel, whose game is also calibrated on physicality and toughness more than pure speed and quickness. Aiyuk isn't necessarily a burner at 6-foot, 200 pounds either, but has the ability to win over the top as a vertical threat and should be an intriguing matchup for the 5-foot-9 Reed, who held up well against A.J. Brown in Week 2. Getting Blair back in the lineup should be beneficial as well, as his size will be helpful against Sanu and Samuel, who have each played at least 40 snaps in the slot this season. Against an offense predicated on the quick passing game, playing sticky coverage and limiting yards after the catch will be critical for the Seahawks.

--Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Dee Eskridge versus 49ers cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Deommodore Lenoir: If Metcalf, Lockett, and Eskridge are all healthy enough to play - which as of this writing isn't guaranteed - the Seahawks should be excited about pitting this talented trio against a banged-up secondary that already lost Jason Verrett for the season and will likely be without Josh Norman on Sunday. After missing the first two weeks of the season with an injury of his own, Moseley had two pass breakups against the Packers last weekend in a stellar 2021 debut. But Metcalf has torched him in the past, as he went off with seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns against him in a Week 8 win last year. Lenoir, a fifth-round pick out of Oregon, gave up a 91-yard reception against the Eagles in Week 2 and struggled last week allowing four receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown against the Packers. Injuries could play a factor in this matchup, but even if Lockett or Eskridge isn't 100 percent, Seattle should have an advantage here versus a team that has given up four plays of 40-plus yards already through the air.

--Seahawks edge defenders versus 49ers tackles Trent Williams and Mike McGlinchy: After re-signing Williams this offseason, San Francisco arguably has the best tackle duo in the NFC. Still one of the elite players at his position, Williams has surrendered only three pressures on 111 pass blocking snaps so far according to Pro Football Focus and he's been equally dominant in the ground game, routinely pancaking defenders to the turf. McGlinchey has also been effective in pass protection, yielding only three pressures and zero sacks. With those two stalwarts as the book ends, the Seahawks' defensive end group of Darrell Taylor, Benson Mayowa, Carlos Dunlap, Rasheem Green, Kerry Hyder, and Alton Robinson will have to be top of their game to be able to get pressure on Jimmy Garoppolo. And maybe more importantly, even given the 49ers struggles so far running the ball (3.6 yards per carry), they will have to be stout at the point of attack and hold serve off the edge, not allowing Kyle Shanahan's offense to exploit them off tackle with outside zone and power runs.

--Seahawks tackles Duane Brown and Jamarco Jones/Jake Curhan/Cedric Ogbuehi versus 49ers defensive ends Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, and Dee Ford: Surprisingly, the 49ers haven't been overly effective at turning up pressure on opposing quarterbacks as a team this year, currently ranking 30th in the NFL in quarterback pressures and 31st overall in pressure percentage according to Pro Football Reference. But Bosa has still been a terror coming off a torn ACL, racking up 10 pressures and 3.0 sacks in the first three games per Pro Football Focus, which will make for a difficult assignment for Brown protecting Russell Wilson's blind side. Armstead has also been a problem for opposing tackles and guards while lining up at multiple spots along the line, producing 16 pressures and a sack. Whoever starts at right tackle for Seattle - it most likely won't be Brandon Shell due to an ankle injury - will be tested by him as well as a speedy edge rusher in Ford. Keeping those three off of Wilson will be vital to the team's success in the passing game.