What to watch for as the 49ers aim to complete a crucial season sweep of the Seahawks in Week 11

The San Francisco 49ers have dominated the rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks in recent times. San Francisco is seeking to sweep Seattle for the third straight season and improve to 6-4 with a win that would move them level with the Arizona Cardinals, who have the tiebreaker, at the top of the NFC West. It's […]

Nicholas McGee
Add as preferred source on Google
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) carries the ball against Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre'Mont Jones (55) and safety Jamal Adams (33) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers have dominated the rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks in recent times.

San Francisco is seeking to sweep Seattle for the third straight season and improve to 6-4 with a win that would move them level with the Arizona Cardinals, who have the tiebreaker, at the top of the NFC West.

It's a game the 49ers, who appear set to be down with their main offensive stars, can ill-afford to lose if they are to surge down the stretch and earn a place in the playoffs.

Here's what to watch for as the 49ers aim to maintain normal service and avoid an upset loss to the Seahawks.

CMC's second act

With George Kittle unlikely to play because of a hamstring issue, Brock Purdy is set to be without the passing game target with whom, save for the injured Brandon Aiyuk, he has the most rapport.

Kittle has been very prolific versus Seattle, scoring seven touchdowns in his last five games against them, including two in the 49ers' Week 6 win in Seattle.

His absence will increase the pressure on the likes of Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall to deliver, but it will also place extra emphasis on Christian McCaffrey to get back to his devastating Offensive Player of the Year best following his return from bilateral Achilles tendinitis last week.

McCaffrey should have no problem running the ball against a Seattle defense allowing 139.4 yards per game on the ground, the seventh-most in the NFL.

The 49ers will also hope to stress a completely revamped linebacker core with McCaffrey's gravity in the passing game, which could be maximized through the use of both him and Deebo Samuel in the backfield.

Kittle's removal from the picture means McCaffrey's success in building on his season debut will go a long way to determining if their superiority over the Seahawks continues.

Reprising strength against the run

The 49ers' road win over Seattle saw their best performance against the run all season, San Francisco allowing just 52 yards on the ground.

For the most part, the 49er rush defense has been a weakness, though there were some encouraging signs in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

San Francisco had the 13th best run defense by Expected Points Added per rush attempt in Week 10, even in a game in which defensive end Nick Bosa notably struggled because of a hip pointer and Leonard Floyd was guilty of being driven off the ball by a tight end on Bucky Irving's fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.

The edges were the problem against the Buccaneers' ground game, but the depth on the interior allowed the 49ers to consistently win the battle on runs up the middle, on which San Francisco allowed minus 0.51 EPA per rush.

With 49ers solid up the middle and Yetur Gross-Matos returning from injury to give them an edge defender who can not only rush the passer from multiple spots but is also underrated against the run, San Francisco is in a good spot to bottle up Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Doing so will be key to the Niners making Geno Smith uncomfortable and forcing mistakes from the Seattle quarterback.

Stopping the special teams woes

After a strong special teams performance in Week 8 before their bye, the 49ers' 31st-ranked unit by DVOA reverted to type against the Buccaneers.

Jake Moody's three missed field goals headlined the 49ers' special teams problems, but there was another miscue that led to a touchdown when Jacob Cowing muffed a punt after Darrell Luter Jr. was blocked into him.

Luter's placement on injured reserve on Saturday may be a blessing in disguise given his special teams issues. The 49ers elevated Nick McCloud, who is well regarded for his special teams play, from the practice squad to fill the void.

But the 49ers will also have a new punter in Pat O'Donnell after Mitch Wishnowsky was placed on injured reserve. That could potentially complicate the field goal operation with O'Donnell now set to serve as the holder for Moody.

The only reason the first meeting between the 49ers and Seahawks this season was ever close in the second half was because of a 97-yard kick return touchdown from Laviska Shenault. 

San Francisco allowed 266 yards on seven kick returns in the game in Seattle. The scoreline in that 36-24 victory would have been more reflective of the 49ers' dominance had they done a better job in kick coverage.

Too often this season, the 49ers' special teams has kept opponents in games. At 4-5, the Seahawks are a team desperate for life coming off the bye. It's imperative a unit that has consistently let the Niners down in 2024 does not do so again in a game San Francisco is expected to win handily.

Related Articles