When the Seattle Seahawks square off against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night at Lumen Field, it will mark the first head-coaching matchup between Mike Macdonald and Kyle Shanahan.
Seahawks Injuries: 3 defenders out, 3 questionable vs 49ers
Macdonald, the Seahawks’ first-year head coach, is considered one of the league’s brightest defensive minds after his immensely successful two-year run as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. Shanahan, meanwhile, has earned a reputation as one of the league’s top offensive play-callers during his success-filled eight seasons in San Francisco.
How will their first encounter as NFC West rivals play out? During his weekly appearance Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said the key matchup will be the Seahawks’ defense against the 49ers’ high-powered rushing attack.
“Everything is going to be predicated on how (the 49ers) can run the ball,” Jeremiah said. “… Their offense clicks when they get their outside run game going. And then when they can build off of that, that’s when that just becomes a nightmare.”
The Seahawks know that all too well.
Seattle has lost five consecutive games to San Francisco, including a wild-card playoff game in January 2023. In those five matchups, the 49ers have gashed the Seahawks for an average of 176.4 rushing yards per game and 5.25 yards per carry.
San Francisco has once again excelled on the ground this season, even with star running back Christian McCaffrey on the injured reserve with calf and Achilles tendinitis. Backup running back Jordan Mason ranks second in the NFL with 536 rushing yards through five games and has averaged 5.1 yards per carry. As a team, the 49ers rank seventh with 144.0 rushing yards per game.
San Francisco also has a steady quarterback in Brock Purdy and big-time weapons in the passing game, such as tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and do-it-all playmaker Deebo Samuel. But Jeremiah said it all starts with the rushing attack and the play-action opportunities it creates.
“You think about one-on-one route winners (at receiver), I don’t think that’s really how they’re built,” Jeremiah said. “They’re built to run after the catch with the ball in their hands to put defenders in trail positions. And you do that by messing with their eyes.”
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have struggled to defend the run this season. They have already allowed 100-plus rushing yards three times, surrendering 185 to New England in Week 2, 116 to Detroit in Week 4 and 175 to the New York Giants on Sunday. Seattle’s lackluster performance against the Giants was particularly concerning, given that New York was down to its backup running back and had rushed for just 85.3 yards per game over the first four weeks.
It certainly won’t get any easier against San Francisco on Thursday night, especially with Seattle set to be shorthanded on defense once again. Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is reportedly headed to the injured reserve, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II will miss his third consecutive game and cornerback Riq Woolen has also been ruled out.
During Wednesday’s “Roll The Tape” segment on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, former NFL linebacker Dave Wyman said he thinks it’ll be evident early on whether the Seahawks’ run defense has improved and is up to the task.
“I think that (the 49ers) are gonna hand Jordan the ball on a stretch play and he’s gonna attack wherever the open gap is,” Wyman said. “… I mean, after what you saw (the Giants do), why would you not? And (the 49ers) do such a good job already and they have a pretty good offensive line. (Left guard) Aaron Banks is really good. (All-Pro left tackle) Trent Williams is really good. That’s where I would run it. I would run it over the left side, where those two guys are.
“So that’s gonna be key,” he added. “You’re gonna see that in the very beginning. Now, hopefully (the Seahawks) can also make some adjustments if they need to. But I think early on, that’s what I would do if I was the offensive (play-caller) for the Niners.”
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Hear the full “Roll The Tape” segment on Wyman and Bob at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story.