The Seahawks, even though they’re diminished by injury, have the better team than the 49ers. Their quarterback is better, their players have been entrenched in the system for years now and they have more talent in general than San Francisco. However that doesn’t mean the upstart 49ers couldn’t pull the upset on Sunday at Levi’s, and here’s how they do it.
1. Everyone says keep Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson in the pocket by encircling him with getting your defensive ends up the field. Also, the interior defensive linemen must stay disciplined and make sure there are no gaps in which Wilson can escape. However, that gets harder when the line gets tired. Wilson is in supreme condition and he often makes pass rushers look foolish by darting past them late in the game. That’s probably one reason the 49ers claimed defensive linemen Sheldon Day and Cassius Marsh this week. The rotation of the 49ers’ line will be crucial.
2. Use running back Carlos Hyde exhaustively. Hyde plays well against Seattle, while most running backs get completely stymied. In the last game, he had 102 yards by halftime. His longest career runs of 61 yards and 37 yards have come against Seattle. Kyle Shanahan just has to stay with it. In the last game, a narrow 12-9 loss, the 49ers rushed only 19 times, but they amassed 159 yards and a 8.4 yard average per rush.
3. What carried the 49ers to a win against the Giants was their avoidance of mistakes. Seattle is the most penalized team in the league. If the 49ers can reduce their penalty totals and avoid the silly turnover, they could keep it close.
4. It’s an odd personnel group – three tight ends, one running back and one receiver. However, the Seahawks have a hard time defending that group, particularly from a Kyle Shanahan-directed offense. In two games last year, Shanahan used the formation as the Atlanta offensive coordinator 17 times. They got eight first downs and two touchdowns out of that group. Against the Falcons on Monday night, Atlanta used it again and it resulted in a long touchdown pass.
5. Commentator and former Giants lineman David Deihl said that Seattle likes to start games with passes to the flat and outside runs to stretch a defense. Then they like to hit the defense with seam passes and inside runs when gaps are created. The 49ers will have to be tight in their zone defense and disciplined with their run fits against the Seattle offense.