The 49ers have every reason to believe Sunday’s meeting with the Seahawks in Week 5 will look a lot different than the last two times these teams got together.
Seattle handled San Francisco badly in both of those matchups last year, and the 49ers never really found a way to get on track. This time, though, the matchup points in a different direction.
Start up front, where San Francisco’s offensive line has emerged as the team’s best unit and one of the best in the NFL. That group backed it up last week against the Denver Broncos, a defense widely regarded as one of the league’s top fronts.
The Seahawks still bring a ferocious defensive line, but the 49ers should be in position to compete there instead of getting overwhelmed. They may have their rough stretches, but the kind of total domination Seattle delivered before should not be there.
The pass-catching group is a different story, too. In the previous two games against Seattle, the 49ers were without Brandon Aiyuk, and that left Brock Purdy with too little separation and not enough room to work.
That issue isn’t as glaring now with Mike Evans and George Kittle in the mix. Evans is not fully fit, but he should still matter in this game.
Kittle should, too, even though he was present in one of those earlier losses, a 13-3 defeat. Deebo Samuel adds another layer, not as a traditional receiver, but as a player who brings a more explosive and aggressive element that wasn’t available in those matchups.
Purdy himself is another reason for optimism. Over this four-game stretch, there’s a strong case that he’s played as well as he has at any point in his career.
He cooled off a bit against Denver, but the bigger picture is still encouraging: he looks calm, controlled, and comfortable on nearly every drop back. He’s also not chasing chunk plays as often, even if that means taking more pressure at times.
Sunday will be a real test of how far he’s come, and it will also be the best quarterback the Seahawks’ defense has faced so far.
On defense, San Francisco’s outlook changes dramatically with Fred Warner available. The source of Seattle’s big offensive showing in the divisional playoff game would have looked very different with Warner on the field, and his presence alone is enough to swing how the 49ers defend this matchup.
Dre Greenlaw’s return is a welcome boost, and having Nick Bosa back would be huge, but Warner is the most important piece. He matters against both the run and the pass, and just as much for the way he lines everyone up and gets the defense organized before the snap.
His influence is immediate, and it should show up right away on Sunday.
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Seattles backfield situation only adds to the concern, because the room behind the starter has been thinned by injuries and departures. For a rivalry game that often comes down to who can stay on schedule and keep the quarterback comfortable, those missing pieces matter, and they help explain why San Francisco sees a real path to controlling the matchup if its own offense executes cleanly. [Read more 🡒]