SANTA CLARA – Brock Purdy was simply 4 years outdated when a banner hung exterior the 49ers’ locker room studying: “Win The West.”
That was in 2005, when first-year coach Mike Nolan knew the franchise’s quickest path again to relevancy was a division title, by no means thoughts that it took till 2011 to finish the Niners’ playoff drought.
Now, after Purdy’s delivered back-to-back NFC West crowns to the 49ers, they want division wins greater than, properly, they simply want them.
The 49ers (5-4) may very well be recapturing the playoff kind after two months of bungling the function of reigning NFC champs. Sunday, they will enhance to 2-2 in NFC West motion and transfer right into a share of first place with the Arizona Cardinals, as long as they beat the Seattle Seahawks (4-5) at Levi’s Stadium in a seventh straight assembly.
“There’s never a moment where we walk into this game going it’s going to be given to us or anything,” Purdy stated.
The 49ers’ solely divisional win this season got here by outlasting the Seahawks 36-24 in a Thursday evening, Oct. 10 go to to Seattle. Extra divisional drama awaits on Thursday, Dec. 12 when the Los Angeles Rams come to Levi’s Stadium, with the regular-season finale Jan. 5 or 6 in Arizona.
Listed below are 5 keys to victory for the 49ers:
1. CMC ENCORE VS. LBs
Christian McCaffrey’s most spectacular play in his season debut got here when he exploited a mismatch towards a linebacker (Lavonte David) for a 30-yard reception through Purdy’s heroic throw within the face of stress. The 49ers will, and at all times have, search comparable mismatches. The Seahawks’ linebacker corps has undergone a radical, in-season makeover, with final month’s commerce for Ernest Brown IV and Tuesday’s launch of main tackler Tyrel Dodson, who’ll get replaced by rookie Tyrice Knight.
McCaffrey winces at any thought the new-look Seahawks are simple prey and as a substitute famous how maligned groups usually pull out a shocking win beneath a lately named interim coach. (See: New Orleans Saints’ final Sunday).
The Seahawks’ duo of Bobby Wanger and Jordyn Brooks couldn’t cease McCaffrey final season: 259 yards and two touchdowns within the 49ers’ two wins. McCaffrey, since becoming a member of the 49ers two years in the past, has run for over 100 yards in all 4 of his faceoffs towards the Seahawks, together with a January 2023 playoff opener. Neither Achilles flared up after his 56-snap, 107-yard debut in Tampa, so “I’ll keep rolling.”
2. OVERCOME SPECIAL TEAMS
The 49ers’ season-long points on particular groups embrace a Seahawks’ kickoff return for a landing. Extra woes got here final Sunday when Jake Moody’s three missed subject targets (earlier than his game-winner) and a muffed punt return brought on by Darrell Luter.
Merely, the 49ers are the purpose they have to anticipate and overcome one other special-teams gaffe. Even tight finish George Kittle famous that the determined Seahawks may take possibilities equivalent to a faux punt, on which they scored a landing of their 2021 recreation at Seattle.
“They’ve kind of had our number on big special teams plays,” Kittle stated. “I’m not in special teams meetings so I don’t know what we’re doing for that but we’ve got to be on guard for everything.”
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky’s again harm prompted the 49ers to signal veteran Pat O’Donnell, who presumably can even moonlight as Moody’s new holder. Lengthy snapper Taybor Pepper vouches for O’Donnell, having labored out in previous offseasons in South Florida. “He has really good hands as a holder,” Pepper stated.
3. COVERING DK, ETC.
DK Metcalf received ejected within the Seahawks’ final matchup at Levi’s Stadium, as soon as his sort out on Fred Warner’s interception led to a scuffle additionally involving Deommodore Lenoir, who ejected additionally with three minutes left within the 28-16 win.
On this rematch, Metcalf will return from a knee harm that price him two video games, and the 49ers’ cornerbacks can be led by Lenoir, who saunters in recent off Wednesday’s contract extension (5 years, $92 million).
This isn’t simply Metcalf vs. Lenoir, nevertheless. Metcalf (35 receptions, 568 yards, three touchdowns) is a part of a multi-prong corps that features Jaxon Smith-Njigba (50-568-3) and Tyler Lockett (34-456-2).
Geno Smith gained’t hesitate to air it out towards the 49ers’ Twenty fourth-ranked third-down protection. Charvarius Ward will miss his second straight recreation following the demise of his daughter, Amani Joi, who would have turned 2 on Sunday. Lining up with Lenoir once more needs to be rookie upstart Renardo Inexperienced and veterans Isaac Yiadom and Rock Ya-Sin.
4. PRESSURING SMITH
Seattle dominated out beginning heart Connor Williams, thus inviting the 49ers’ defensive entrance to stress up the intestine towards Smith.
The 49ers want Nick Bosa to push by way of a hip harm like he did final recreation, when he endured 52 snaps with ache that was “the worst thing I’ve had to play through.” Resting fairly than training this previous week may very well be the tonic he must chase after Smith, who’s been sacked 28 occasions (and thrown 11 interceptions vs. 10 landing passes).
“You just have to not feel bad for yourself out there,” Bosa added. “If you’re not good enough to go, don’t go. But I felt good enough to give my team a better opportunity, so, yeah, I’m kind of proud of that.”
Bosa may very well be opposing Abraham Lucas in his season debut at proper sort out. Extra 49ers assist may come from Yetur Gross-Matos, who missed the previous six video games recovering from a knee harm. Leonard Floyd has simply three sacks in 9 begins, and he hasn’t hit a quarterback since Patrick Mahomes on Oct. 20.
5. PROTECT PURDY
Left sort out Trent Williams’ ankle and wrist accidents may depart Purdy’s blind aspect uncovered, whether or not it’s Williams enjoying at lower than 100% or backup Jaylon Moore drawing his first important snaps this season. With seven fill-in begins his earlier three seasons, Moore has performed simply 14 offensive snaps this season, 9 coming in final month’s loss to Kansas Metropolis by which Williams received ejected for throwing a retaliatory punch.
Purdy’s elevated mobility this season already has yielded profession highs in yards (227) and carries (46). Sacked 18 occasions this 12 months, six got here within the 49ers’ Week 2 loss at Minnesota, the place the Vikings deployed a confounding defensive scheme. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme gave Purdy suits final 12 months when Macdonald coordinated Baltimore’s protection (4 interceptions), however produced 255 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers and no sacks within the 49ers’ win at Seattle final month.
Whereas Derick Corridor’s team-high 5 sacks all got here in Seattle’s first 5 video games, the Seahawks’ most potent move rusher is inside power Leonard Williams, who has 14 quarterback hits and a pair of ½ sacks but additionally has a foot harm that stored him out of Wednesday’s follow after the bye.
