49ers v. Seahawks - Preview, FTN Staff Prediction, Injury Report, and Live Score Updates

The gold standards of the NFC West take on each other in the latest installment of this rivalry.

Sir Lancelot

Nov 01, 2020

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Gameday

San Francisco 49ers (4-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (5-1) at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Kickoff: 1:25 PM PST, 4:25 PM EST
Weather: 55°F clear, 2 MPH, 65% humidity, 1% precipitation
Spread: SEA -3
Over/Under: 53.5 points
Channel: FOX, FuboTV, Streaming (in comments)
Radio: KNBR 680, KSAN 107.7, SiriusXM Channel 27
Announcers (FOX): Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Lindsay Czarniak

Injury Report (will be updated):

San Francisco 49ers:

OUT:
- Kwon Alexander, LB
- Richie James Jr, WR
- Deebo Samuel, WR
- Jaquiski Tartt, S
- CJ Beathard, QB (inactive)
- Ken Webster, CB (inactive)
QUESTIONABLE:
- Jimmie Ward, FS (expected to play)
- Kentavius Street, DL (will play)

Seattle Seahawks

OUT:
- Mike Iupati, OL
- Jamal Adams, DB
- Chris Carson, RB
- Carlos Hyde, RB
- Ugo Amadi, DB
- Benson Mayowa, DE
- Shaquill Griffin, CB

QUESTIONABLE:
- Travis Homer, RB (will play)
- Ryan Neal, CB (will play)

Live Score Updates:

1st Quarter:
- 0:00 - Russell Wilson finds DK Metcalf for a 48 yard TD. Extra point by Myers is NO GOOD.
2nd Quarter
- 6:59 - JaMycal Hasty rushes for 1 yard TD. Extra point by Gould is GOOD.

Read our Q&A with Seahawks fans.

(Seattle, WA) - Well well well. Here it goes. The 49ers travel to the vaunted CenturyLink Field, only this time - there is no crowd. This is a winnable game for the 49ers, no doubt, but Seattle is not to be tossed aside. They are the crown jewel of the NFC at the moment, sporting a 5-1 record and leading the best division in the league, but more importantly, this is not the defense-oriented, rushing-based team of years prior. Pete Carroll has unleashed Russell Wilson and it’s a nightmare scenario for the rest of the league, as statistically, the Seahawks arguably have the best offense in the NFL at the moment. DK Metcalf leads the league in yards per catch, and Tyler Lockett leads in the league in receiving TDs - this offense, even without Chris Carson, is potent, and it’s headed by the leading MVP candidate through 7 weeks. Seattle’s offensive line is quite good this season, a stark contrast from year’s prior, and coupled with weapons like Metcalf, Lockett, Greg Olsen, and eventually Josh Gordon - it’s no wonder Russell Wilson is playing so well.

An excerpt from a statistical analysis done by FTN earlier this week:

The Seahawks are #2 in offensive DVOA, are #1 in yards per game, and are in #1 in points scored - this is arguably the best offense in football. And while they do have weaknesses: they have been terrible on 3rd down, partly due to bad performance and partly because they barely play on 3rd down anyways (least 3rd down attempts), there’s a reason they are so good.
DK Metcalf has progressed in his sophomore season, and he is tied for 5th in the league in receiving TDs while also leading the league in yards per reception. Metcalf is on his way to being the next superstar WR - and he has the tools to do it. But he overshadows the other main weapon on the offense, Tyler Lockett. Lockett is tied for 1st in the league in receiving TDs, is 9th in receiving yards, and has generally been Russell Wilson’s favorite target despite Metcalf being the premier deep threat in the league right now. It’s really impressive what Seattle has done on offense, and it is helped out by having a talented RB like Chris Carson as well. Greg Olsen is good for 2 or 3 catches a game, and he is also not to be dismissed although not nearly what he was in years prior. However, the real success lies with the QB and the OL.
Seattle’s OL has been notoriously bad, for many years - but for the first time, this does not seem to be the case. Duane Brown is still a very good LT, no doubt about it. Mike Iupati, our old friend, has not allowed a sack all season and has a quite good PFF grade, at 70.1. Ethan Pocic has been an average starter, but still much better than what Seattle had there in years prior and has progressed since first being drafted. Their starting RT - Brandon Shell, is the worst starter on the OL, and is penalty-prone, but still, as mentioned, is a big upgrade over Germain Ifedi who they had there last season. But the biggest addition is Damien Lewis, the rookie guard out of LSU. Lewis has played outstanding for a rookie, albeit with some mistakes - he has 6 penalties which according to PFF, is tied for first in the league. But regardless, Lewis has been very good and will be a building block on that OL in years to come.
This, not Russell Wilson progressing even further (although he has), is why Seattle’s offense is so potent. For the first time, they tried to protect Russell Wilson instead of letting him fend for himself, and it has paid off in a big way. Seattle is #5 in pass block win rate this season. Wilson is the leading MVP candidate and for good reason, he leads the league in passing TDs with 22 despite throwing just 6 interceptions, is top 10 in passing yards, top 5 in QBR, top 5 in completion percentage, and has the best passer rating in the league.

The 49ers defense is going to have to find away to get pressure on Russell Wilson, let alone hit him - and that’s going to be tough without Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford, and more. Jordan Willis is projected to make his 49ers debut today, so keep an eye on him - although don’t expect much to begin with.

Seattle’s defense is one that Shanahan has been licking his chops at all week. Statistically a bottom 5 defense at best, the Seahawks are missing Jamal Adams, Benson Mayowa, Shaquill Griffin, and Ugo Amadi. This is the polar opposite of the legion of boom - if the 49ers can get the intermediate to deep passing game going, they can turn this game into a shootout. Despite Seattle’s terrible DL and injured secondary, there is a spot on the defense they still are elite at. They have Bobby Wagner, still a top 5 LB in the league although slowing down, as well as KJ Wright who is having a career renaissance this season. Their rookie 1st round pick, Jordyn Brooks, also has played well in limited snaps. It’s clear that San Francisco, without a Seattle pass rush to worry about, must utilize the deep passing game and intermediate passing game to keep up with Seattle’s offense. That lies on Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan to execute that well. They must not make mistakes - despite Seattle’s league worst passing defense, they also make a ton of plays on the ball - they are top 5 in takeaways, interceptions, and passes defensed.

Check this infographic out, courtesy of 49ers Communications.

Predictions by FTN Staff

SF 36 v. SEA 33 - Shanafandom

Prediction: SF wins 36-33. This will be a close game. There’s a reason Seahawks gave close games, a great offense and putrid defense. Even with banged up RBs, Seattle has a very scary offense with Wilson and his receivers. He won’t throw 3 picks like he did in Arizona. But there’s no pass rush and Jamal Adams is still hurt. Jimmy will have time to dink, dunk, and watch his pass catchers get YAC.
Player of The Game: Brandon Aiyuk. Coming off a great game against New England, Aiyuk should be able to torch the Seahawks. They have a weak secondary, so Aiyuk should shine.

SF 28 v. SEA 24 - Patrick Holloway

Prediction: Seattle doesn't have that ridiculous crowd to help them which is a huge, HUGE factor in this game. Also, I have not been impressed in the slightest by any of Seattle's wins. Like every season, they beneficiaries of bad coaching, bizarre instances, bad playcalling, or a combination of all three. Whenever I throw dirt on Seattle, I get burned, but I'm doing it right here.Russell Wilson was a candidate for MVP, until he threw three picks in a single game. Oh and a pick six against the Patriots. I know we all seem to have forgotten about that and instead talk other things, like one of those said picks being erased and replaced by D.K Metcalf's speed in stopping it from a touchdown. Whatever.I'm a homer and I'm picking the 49ers. I do think the Seahawks offense will get their shots in, this is Robert Saleh and while he's been VERY impressive as of late, he still hasn't shown he has a plan for running quarterbacks.The Seattle defense is beyond atrocious as well. The 49ers can do what they want get the lead and hopefully stop any of those late game theatrics. But again, while it's arguable how good of a quarterback Russell Wilson is, he's without a doubt the luckiest.
Player of The Game: Brandon Aiyuk.

SF 42 v. SEA 36 - Riqonator

Prediction: I’m seeing a lot of signs that this will be a shootout - and it will be exciting. I do think that SF’s defense is able to edge Seattle’s defense in that battle, giving the 49ers offense a couple more chances to score. Russell Wilson’s rushing ability will be massive - can the 49ers contain him?
Player of the Game: Emmanuel Moseley - Likely tasked with the matchup of freak DK Metcalf, he is going to have to play extremely well to keep the deep passing game in check. Verrett will be matched up on Lockett.

SF 38 v. SEA 35 - SportyMiner

Prediction: My head says Seahawks. They may have a weak underbelly of safeties and no pass rush. They may only have their 4th string RB. But they have Wilson playing on God mode and no-one should bet against him carrying the team on his Hobbit back for any given game. However, my heart won this week as this is the time to give them a bloody nose and really gain our momentum for the season. This game is BIG. It may even be the most important game of the year as its either SF 4-4 / SEA 6-1, Hawks go on to win the division and we end up 3rd or 4th... or SF gets to 5-3, SEA 5-2, the NFC-W tied for 5 wins each and the season is all of a sudden blown wide open. Already, this may be a make-or-break game and for that reason alone I'm going for a Shanahan-Saleh showcase, a clinic, tonight. Jimmy needs to be quick and limit interceptions - that's what will win or lose the game for us. Russ will score, he will frustrate, our only counter is to dominate on offense.
Player of the Game: Warner is excellent but no defensive player will shine enough against a Wilson lead team. Instead it's offense. Aiyuk will be the main WR tonight but I think it's Kittle's game - he'll carry us over the line (literally and figuratively) and I'm hoping for another Saints performance. As a side note, Jus has been quietly performing offensively (receptions and carries) so I'll keep an eye out there - he won't be POTG but may be utilized more as a skill player as we face a weaker DL.

SF 30 v. SEA 24 - El Shorts

Prediction: SF wins 30-24. The Niners take full advantage of a bad Seattle defense, being able to control the game with the run despite losing yet another running back last week. Wilson won’t be Cam Newton though, as he takes full advantage of a depleted secondary to the tune of 300 yards and 3 TDs. The Niners will be down 23-24 before embarking on a lengthy TD drive to put the game away.

Player of the Game: Tevin Coleman with 125+ scrimmage yards and 2 TDs.

5 of 5 FTN contributors pick the 49ers. 80% of FTN viewers on the Slack server picked the 49ers to win. This game has large implications - and Brandon Aiyuk looks to be the player that most people think will be important today. Go Niners!

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