NFC Game Of The Week
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
49ers: During the struggles, I thought it was going to be a long season for them. With losing games you’d expect them to win and the way they’ve been hit with the injury bug. Keys guys are out. Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas are done for the year, Richard Sherman, George Kittle were on the injured list for a few games as was Jimmy Garoppolo. Two big wins in a row and here they are. Sunday in Foxboro was hands down the best I’ve seen them play all year long. They play a physical brand of football that wears teams down. Other guys have also stepped it up since the injuries have piled up. The NFC as expected is looking to be a dog fight. You have the Saints, Packers, Buccaneers, Rams, Seahawks, and don’t forget these 49ers. Their tough schedule continues with a trip to Seattle.
Seahawks: Their record is good, but some things can be fixed up with them. Look back at their teams that won the NFC in consecutive seasons. They had enough balance on offense and a defense that could smother you in the blink of an eye. Now, their offense is one of the best in the league without question. What’s been their Achilles heel has been their defense. They don’t have a guy that can create pressure on the quarterback and they struggle to defend people in the secondary. All their issues on defense caught up with them in Arizona on Sunday night. You put teams away when the opportunity is there. They failed to capitalize. Back to the offense, Russell threw a season-high, three interceptions. The Seahawks are still in first place in the highly competitive NFC West. Now, they’re back home Sunday for a divisional battle.
49ers X-Factor: Fred Warner– Since Bosa went down, Fred has become the leader of this defense. A middle linebacker is the “quarterback of the defense”. He calls the plays and makes sure everyone is where they need to be. Furthermore, as a player, he swarms to the ball with pure speed.
Seahawks X-Factor: David Moore– He’s the hidden gem of this offense. Metcalf will get his catches as will Lockett. David is a fluid route runner that can get up the field with any route ran. Playing with a quarterback that likes to extend the play, he can extend his route so Russ can get him the football.
Final Thoughts: They played in two classic games last year. I’m expecting this to be the same. I see the 49ers taking a page out of Arizona’s playbook and rushing Wilson with all-out blitzes early on. Jimmy will be without Deebo Samuel in this game. With Chris Carson out for Seattle, Russ will execute as expected. If this were to become an offensive shootout, I’d lean in the direction of Wilson. I expect him to bounce back nicely after a multi-interception game.
Prediction: Seahawks 28 49ers 23
