Game Overview ::
By >> Mike johnson
- These teams have met twice already this season, once way back in Week 1 and once just a couple of weeks ago with the conference’s #1 seed on the line.
- Seattle has a massive rest advantage coming off their bye week while the 49ers played just six days ago.
- The 49ers have overcome massive injuries all season but will face their toughest test yet following the loss of all pro tight end George Kittle to a devastating achilles injury.
- San Francisco is the league’s second ranked offense while Seattle boasts the league’s highest rated defense.
- Seattle QB Sam Darnold popped up on the injury report Thursday with an oblique injury, but is expected to play.
How san francisco Will Try To Win ::
There is a saying in coaching that goes something along the lines of, “sometimes it is about the X’s and O’s, and sometimes it is about the Jim’s and Joe’s”. This is a game that largely depends on which of those types of games it becomes. San Francisco is largely outmatched from a personnel perspective in large part due to their injuries, but they are extremely well coached and have strong schemes on both sides of the ball. Last week they were able to outmaneuver the Eagles, but this week presents a much different challenge. While the Eagles have some of the best personnel in the league, they’ve already fired their offensive coordinator for running one of the most vanilla and stale offenses we saw in 2025 and their defense’s approach is more built along the idea of their guys being better than yours. This week the 49ers face a Seattle team that has one of the most well schemed and diverse defenses in the league and a creative offense built by highly regarded offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who will surely be a hot head coaching candidate whenever the Seahawks season ends. The 49ers seemed to be a step ahead and have more answers than the Eagles last week, but this week on short rest against a team with an extra week to prepare and who can match their scheming abilities will be tough.
San Francisco lost all pro tight end George Kittle to an achilles injury in the first half last week, which is a huge blow to their offense. The loss of Kittle alters their passing game, but we have also seen the 49ers running game take a huge step back whenever Kittle is out of the lineup over the past several seasons. This year was no different and against an elite Seattle run defense that leads the league in DVOA and yards per carry allowed, we can expect the 49ers running game to be stale at best. The 49ers expect WR Ricky Pearsall to be back on the field, but based on his comments throughout the week it seems clear he will not be at full strength. Veteran WR Demarcus Robinson had a huge game against the Eagles with his 61-yard reception and red zone touchdown both coming in the coverage of Philly’s star cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. While there may have been zone concepts involved, the fact remains that Robinson showed himself to be a true threat which the 49ers desperately need right now. We saw Kendrick Bourne explode earlier in the season as well and Jauan Jennings is fully capable himself. Those receivers will need to have strong games in this spot as the 49ers will be struggling to run the ball.
The San Francisco approach will be similar to what we always see, with a focus on sustaining drives and picking up first downs while occasionally hitting on explosive plays that they usually spend the early portions of the game setting up with other play calls. The goal for San Francisco is keep this game close through halftime so they can stay balanced and not become predictable. The worst thing that could happen for the 49ers would be falling behind by multiple scores by halftime and becoming one dimensional. They need to be able to play methodically and pick their spots against an elite Seattle defense.
