Mike Macdonald and his team will look to snap a two-game losing streak against the NFC West Division San Francisco 49ers. To accomplish that task, the Seahawks will need several players to step up and play their best games to date.
INJURIES AND RETURN OF SOME MUCH-NEEDED HELP
With an ankle injury, Cornerback Riq Woolen is ruled out of Thursday’s game and will allow Nehemiah Pritchett to start his first regular season game. Safety Julian Love will be a game-time decision due to a hamstring issue. If Love cannot play, Coby Bryant will be given his first start of the season. Whether Love plays or not, Bryant will surely see plenty of action. One position group that received some good news is the linebackers. Derick Hall is expected to play after g missing the first two days of practice this week due to a foot issue. Hall leads the team in sacks. Boye Mafe is set to return after missing two consecutive games due to a knee injury.
CAN THE SEAHAWK STOP THE RUN ?
There is no secret to how the 49ers will attack the Seahawks. They are going to run the ball until they are stopped. The 49ers have the second-ranked offense in the NFL , with the 8th-best run game and fourth-best passing game. Jordan Mason has been more than an adequate replacement for the injured Christian McCaffrey. Mason has rushed for 536 yards, which is second in the league, and his 105 rushing attempts are the most of any back in the NFL. If the Seahawks are to stop Mason, they need to push upfront from Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Jonathan Hankins.
The trio will need to shed blockers, stay gap-disciplined, and set the edge. Some that has been a missing for the last three Seahawks games. In addition to the trio playing good fundamental football, the secondary-level players in Hall, Dre’ Mont Jones, Tyrel Dodson, and Ray Shawn Jenkins, will need to play their part in the run defense. They need to correctly read the open gaps, quickly fill them, and be solid at the point of attack. Missing from the Seahawks defense in the two-game losing streak has been making quick, consistent adjustments and playing fast. Making those adjustments is something Macdonald and his staff have been messaging the team all week.
‘” So it’s been how do we expect the 49ers to do and how they attack us, how well do we identify the changeups and how they’re operating, and then how well our guys are playing the different structures.,” said Macdonald. “And so those are all things that you’re doing every game that we were able to make adjustments last game, not so much the Detroit game and we’re just chasing that. So right now, we got to come out, we want to have a ton of energy, be focused, let’s go fly around and go be us and then to kind of let the chips fall from there.”
CAN THE SEAHAWKS RUN THE BALL WHEN NEEDED?
All week, the Seahawks have discussed the need to establish a consistent run game after running backs Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet rushed for a combined 30 yards on seven attempts in the loss to the Giants. Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb took responsibility for the lack of run plays called during practice this week.
I’ll own that. Got to get the ball to Ken (Kenneth Walker III) more. And I think we had plenty of run game in the plan, didn’t have anything to do with not having enough calls for that, just didn’t get called. And for us, we leaned on the wrong thing. And I think if we get Ken (Kenneth Walker III) 10 more touches, 15 more touches, things are going to look different, “said Grubb. “ So that’s 100% on me and my job is to make sure I get all our guys in the best position possible to win the game. And I didn’t do that.”
That is all good well, but the question for Thursday is how Grubb will attack the 9th-ranked defense in the league. Running in the A gap will be difficult, given the Niner’s stout interior line made up of Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins, Kalia Davis, and Nick Bosa. The Niners second-level defenders of Fred Warer, DeVondre Campbell, and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles are as good as any in the league. Grubb will need to craft a game plan with tempo and a mixture of inside and outside runs.
2024 STAT LEADERS
| SEAHAWKS | 49ers | |
| Rushing | Kenneth Walker III 202 (37-5.5-4) | Jordan Mason 536 (105-51-3) |
| Passing | Geno Smith 1,466(199-143-5-4-92.7) | Brock Purdy 1,374(157-103-6-4-95.3) |
| Receiving | Jaxson Smith-Njigba 29 (257-8.9-1) | George Kittle 23(225-9.8-3) |
| Scoring (Non kicker) | Charbonnet & Walker III 24 | Three tied 18 |
| Sacks | Derick Hall 5.0 | Kevin Givens 3.5 |
| Int | J. Love & R.Woolen 1 | Fred Warner 2 |
| Punting | Michael Dickson 49.1/39.2 net (5 In 20) | Mitch Wishnowsky 46.8/32.9 net ( 3 In 20) |
| Kicking | Jason Myers 36 (8/11 FG, 12/12 PAT) | Jake Moody 51 (13/14 FG, 12/12PAT) |
HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPETITION GIANTS
| 2024 REGULAR SEASON | SEAHAWKS | 49ers |
| Record | 3-2 | 2-3 |
| Total Yard Gained | 1,881 | 2,037 |
| Total Offense ( NFL Rank) | 376.2 (7) | 407.4 (2) |
| Rush Offense | 105.4 (22) | 144.0 (8) |
| Pass offense | 270.8 (3) | 263.4 (4) |
| Points Per Game | 24.4 (11) | 25.2 (10) |
| Total Yards Allowed | 1,555 | 1,539 |
| Total Defense | 311.0 (10) | 307.8 (9) |
| Rush Defense | 128.0 (20) | 110.8 (9) |
| Pass Defense | 183.0 (7) | 197.0 (12) |
| Points Allowed/ Game | 22.8 (T17) | 21.2 ( T12) |
| Possession Avg. | 28:48 | 34:18 |
| Sacked/Yds.Lost | 18/112 | 13/57 |
| Sacks Made/Yds.Lost | 17/114 | 15/70 |
| Interceptions By | 2 | 4 |
| Penalties/Yds | 37/283 | 25/245 |
| Punts/Avg | 21/49.1 | 10/42.1 |
| Turnover Differential | -3(T25) | 0(T15) |
- USA Triumphs Over Paraguay 4-1 in FIFA World Cup 2026
- Mariners still searching for consistency where it matters most
- USMNT vs Paraguay: FIFA World Cup 2026 Kickoff
- Mariners make 5 roster moves as Matt Brash returns to the IL
- Sounders FC Inducts Kasey Keller, Sigi Schmid, and Jimmy Gabriel into Legends Circle
Discover more from Cascadiasports.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
One Reply to “Three keys to a Seahawks win over 49ers”