Seahawks/Niners TNF Preview

Week 6 starts with an amazing matchup between 2 NFC West teams. The 2-3 San Francisco 49ers will visit the 3-2 Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field with the starting time being 8:15 PM EST on Thursday. The 49ers are coming off a tough loss after blowing a 13-point lead in the 2nd half and suffering a game-winning field goal in the dying seconds to fall short 24-23 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Seahawks are arguably coming off of a more disappointing loss. Seattle suffered a 29-20 loss to a New York Giants squad without Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary. Ultimately both teams badly need this win to get back on track, which should lead to a good back-and-forth game. 

Key Injuries

Normally the 49ers would have close to a pristine record to this point but one thing that has plagued them throughout the start of this year is injuries and it seems like they will be without some more key players for Thursday night’s game. After just getting back from IR Talanoa Hufanga will end up right back on IR after suffering ligament damage in his wrist which will ultimately hold him out of Thursday’s contest. The 49ers will also be without Place Kicker Jake Moody after suffering a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s game against Arizona, because of this Matthew Wright has been signed by San Francisco is in line to kick for the 49ers on Thursday. Finally, Charvarius Ward is listed as questionable as he has been dealing with a knee injury that has riddled him throughout the season so far.

As for Seattle, they are dealing with some injuries themselves. Uchenna Nwosu was recently placed back on IR just one game after returning from IR with a thigh injury. To add to this Star #1 Cornerback Riq Woolen has been ruled out for Thursday’s game which can be proven to be crucial considering San Francisco’s lethal passing attack led by Quarterback Brock Purdy. Finally, Byron Murphy will miss a third straight week with a hamstring injury. Julian Love, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall are all also questionable, but it seems like at least 2 of them will be playing Thursday night. These injuries could be seen as game-altering during the game especially with both teams missing key pieces from their defenses. It will be intriguing to see how both teams adapt to these injuries and whether the opposing side can capitalize on these vulnerabilities, ultimately steering them toward victory.

Seahawks Keys

There are keys for both teams in order to win this game but the one for Seattle is very simple, run the ball! In the Week 5 loss to New York Kenneth Walker only got 5 carries which accounted for fewer sacks then the New York Giants racked up on defense. The reason this is so important is that when Seattle does not have their run game working, EDGE rushers can cheat to the passing game. The Seahawks have gone 2-7 when Kenneth Walker has under 40 rushing yards. Ryan Grubb made it clear at the beginning of the season that he wanted the offense to rely on the running game, primarily with Walker but so far this promise hasn’t happened yet. Grubb stated in a press conference that the Seahawks “Got to get the ball to Ken More.” It seems like Seattle and its coaches know they need to run the ball more and it will be a deciding factor for the game on Thursday if they don’t run the ball.

49ers Keys

For San Francisco the key to winning this game is to exploit a Seattle defense without Riq Woolen and continuously use play action. Without Riq Woolen, Seattle’s #1 corner, they will need rookie Nehemiah Pritchett to step up hugely. Tre Brown let up multiple big plays against New York last week and Devon Witherspoon has primarily lined up in the nickel but that could change with the absence of Woolen. As for the play-action pass Seattle has difficult time defending it. The Giants used play-action 20% in their first 4 games but went to the play-action pass 35% of the time against Seattle. This is definitely an area to watch on Thursday as San Francisco has a diverse and unique offense with tons of weapons like Deebo Smith, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle. If San Francisco can exploit this Seattle defense without Riq Woolen and take advantage of the play-action pass it could lead to victory at Lumen Field.

My Prediction 

This game should be a fun one to watch and a competitive battle between both teams. Both teams are in desperate need of a win to get back on track which should lead to a back-and-forth game between two NFC West Rivals. The 49ers have gotten the best of the Seahawks in their last 5 matchups, but I think this one goes a little bit differently with Seattle bouncing back from a tough loss while San Francisco continues its early season struggles.