Opponent Profile: Reeling 49ers To Take On High Flying Seahawks
By Jerrell Richardson
Seattle Seahawks (9-4)
Head Coach: Pete Carroll
Players To Watch: Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas
When these teams met just two weeks ago in Santa Clara, it was far from competitive. Seattle steamrolled San Francisco, dominating in all phases, embarrassing the home team 19-3. Since that meeting, the Seahawks beat the Eagles and the 49ers fell to the Raiders, setting up a rematch with two teams heading in opposite directions. When looking at the recent head to head meeting, as well as how each team fared in the one game since, things do not look good for San Francisco. Not only will they take their offensive woes to play against the top ranked defense in the league, but it will be in Seattle, a place where the Seahawks are more or less invincible. This past Sunday though, Oakland showed the 49ers that records and past performances mean nothing, and going to Century Link Field and getting a win is not impossible. As crazy as it seems, San Francisco is still in the playoff hunt, and can save their season with an improbable win in Seattle.
When Seattle Has the Ball: Advantage Seahawks
The 49ers are the 7th best team in the league stopping the run and the 4th against the pass. The problem is that Seattle, with the combination of Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, is still a bad matchup for San Francisco. For whatever reason, Marshawn Lynch has the 49ers number and he is the workhorse in the Seahawks top ranked running game. Chris Borland and Michael Wilhoite have played well this season, but have struggled against big physical backs and pass coverage. Lynch is the definition of a power back and Wilson will throw or run where the defense is not. Based on how the Raiders worked the middle of the field, expect Seattle to do much of the same.
The Seahawks are ranked 29th when they throw the ball, but Wilson has the uncanny ability to make things happen when things start to go wrong. Wilson is more opportunistic than anything else, and much better than the ranking indicates. What makes Wilson a nightmare to defend is that when it looks like he has nowhere to go, that’s when he finds a way to make a play. The 49ers defense does have a solid secondary, though, who will be able to take way the wide outs. Instead it will more be on the defensive front to keep Wilson contained. If able to keep Wilson under wraps, they must then bottle up Lynch, and if able to do either or both, will give the 49ers a chance to keep their playoff hopes intact.
When San Francisco Has the Ball: Advantage Seahawks
It’s hard to imagine how the 49ers are going to game plan for this one. They have been able to do little or nothing the past few weeks offensively, and are now playing the best defense in the league. Frank Gore does not match up well with this current Seattle defense lead by K.J. Wright, and does not figure to find a lot of running room between the tackles this week. The San Francisco offensive line has suffered multiple injuries, and with who they are playing, a big day does not seem in the cards for Gore nor Carlos Hyde. The 49ers come into this game with the 12th ranked rushing attack, but unfortunately Seattle is the 5th best at stopping it, and even better against the inside runs that the 49ers love. While running the ball might not eat up chunks of yardage, it will be important for San Francisco to stick with the run, as the last thing they want to do is throw the ball a lot against Richard Sherman and the Seahawks secondary.
It’s not just that Sherman and crew are that good, it’s also that Kaepernick and crew are playing really bad. The 49ers are now ranked 25th in the league throwing the ball, but that’s not even an indication of how much they have struggled when dropping back to pass, especially as of late. The past two weeks, Kaepernick has passed for 296 yards total, and will face arguably the best secondary in the league this week. As they will be forced to use a silent count, and the 49er receivers have had terrible performances against Seattle, it figures to be more of the same this week, which means Kaepernick has at least another week of criticism coming his way.
No Time To Feel Bad
After a convincing loss at the hands of the Oakland Raiders, how the 49ers are going to rebound and beat the defending Champs is a mystery. This game is of the upmost importance for both teams, so San Francisco is going to have to earn the upset that they desperately need. There is a good chance that the 49ers will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and it could not hurt anymore that the two teams that struck the final blows are the Raiders and Seahawks. On the other hand, as miserable as the team has looked the past two weeks, a win could turn things around and perhaps keep Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco past next season.
For more 49ers news and updates, visit 49ers Central.
Jerrell Richardson is a Bay Area native who due to a college career at San Diego State University has grown an appreciation for all things sports related in California. His heart will always remain in San Francisco though where he currently resides and covers everything from the San Francisco 49ers and Giants to the San Jose Sharks and California Bears Baseball team. Jerrell is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.