The 49ers just knocked off an NFC East Division Champion on the road on a Sunday, will fly back cross-country and then take on the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the following Saturday as heavy underdogs. No, it’s not 2021.
That was the 49ers path in January of 2022 when they knocked off Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys as the No. 6 seed and then knocked off MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a snow globe without scoring an offensive touchdown.
Underdogs Once Again
Similar to that season, the 49ers will head on the road to the home of the No. 1 seed as huge underdogs, except this time, they are 7.5-point underdogs in Seattle, with the over/under set at 45 points. The oddsmakers are expecting the 49ers to lose 27-19 in the Divisional Round playoff game on Saturday.
The big question – do the 49ers have enough firepower on both sides of the ball to knock off this really good Seattle team who’s been resting at home for the last two weeks?
When the 49ers Have the Ball
This chess match between Kyle Shanahan and Mike Macdonald did not go well for Shanahan during their last meeting. Shanahan’s 49ers only tallied three points on offense – something that’s only happened one other time in his tenure as coach of the 49ers.
Without wideout Ricky Pearsall and left tackle Trent Williams in Week 18, the 49ers couldn’t get their ground attack going and couldn’t find enough separation on the outside with their receivers to get their passing game going.
Seattle’s defense dominated upfront and their speed and violence on defense stymied the 49ers’ offense like only few could. One of the unique challenges with facing Seattle’s defense will be the fact that they play light boxes and play predominantly nickel (three cornerbacks, two linebackers) even if the 49ers present heavier, run-first personnel groupings.
The 49ers’ offense is going to need to find a way to run the ball against these lighter boxes and lighter personnel groupings to open up passing lanes for Brock Purdy down the field.
When the Seahawks Have the Ball
Weirdly, for all the criticism that Robert Saleh’s defense is facing (all due to injuries), they have done a pretty solid job of slowing down Seattle’s offense. They have only allowed 26 points total between the two meetings and Seahawks’ quarterback Sam Darnold has yet to throw for a touchdown in either game.
The Seahawks really got their ground game moving in Week 18 with Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker and the 49ers’ priority will be to try and stop the run and force Sam Darnold to beat them. It felt like Seattle’s offensive line was able to move the 49ers with ease and create holes for their running backs, which led to productive early downs.
It’ll be imperative for the 49ers to see if they can stop the run on early downs (like they did in the second half against the Eagles) and force Sam Darnold to beat them with their arm.
A Tall Task in a Hostile Environment
San Francisco has its work cut out for them on Saturday night as they look to punch their ticket to the NFC Championship. It’ll be a tall task to win on the road in a hostile environment, but these underdogs have done it before.
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