Undefeated
We're past the halfway mark of the regular season and I don't think that many people thought that situation in NFC West will look like this before the season started. 49ers are the only undefeated team in the league after Baltimore defeated New England last week. They are sitting at the top of their division, with the Seahawks in second place (7-2) and Rams surprisingly in the third, after suffering another loss in Pittsburgh yesterday. If San Francisco adds another win tonight, they would pretty much clinch the playoff berth. In week 10!
And that idea is not so far-fetched. They might be getting some important players back after injuries. Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey, Kyle Juszczyk and Akhello Whiterspoon all practiced in limited or full capacity throughout the previous week, indicating that they are nearing a return. Not that their backups played bad, but getting Staley, McGlinchey, and Juszczyk back will boost their running game, which is already quite scary. Not that they only like to run the ball, they are also really good at it. It was a huge part of their winning streak because it allowed them to control the rhythm of the game.
MVP
On the other side, the Seahawks are seemingly in a decent position. But if they lose this one, they have a bye next week and then a stretch of tough opponents all the way to week 16 vs Arizona. Meaning that this 7-2 of theirs might look much uglier in a couple of weeks and put their playoff chances under serious question. One thing is sure, they cannot afford to play the way they did last week. They were offering a win to Tampa Bay on a silver platter, but the Buccaneers simply couldn't push themselves over the finish line. Playing like that in Levi's stadium tonight would most likely result in a beatdown.
The defense is the issue. Days of "Legion of Boom" are long gone. They are mediocre against the pass and allowing 4.7 yards per carry on the ground. Especially the latter is very problematic when facing 49ers. If you can't stop the run and force them into a couple of 3rd & long situations where you could potentially force Jimmy G into a bad decision, you are in for a long night. So far, Russell Wilson successfully carried this team on his back, which is why he is in serious discussions for the MVP title. By claiming Josh Gordon through the waivers, they added some more speed to this receiving group, that already had plenty with Lockett and Metcalf. Combining that with Wilson's elusiveness and ability to extend the plays with his feet, 49ers will have to be extremely focused and disciplined on defense, if they want to prevent explosive plays down the field.
49ers vs Seahawks best bet
Gotta go with Matt Breida here. We're probably talking about one of the toughest players in the league. He's playing on a bum ankle for over a year now, but if he's able to stand on it, he wants back in the game. And the Niners love his toughness, ability to get the "ugly" yards in between the tackles and catch a pass out of the backfield. The public is more aware of Tevin Coleman, who is a faster, flashier player with the breakout speed. But when Breida's been healthy, he was at least splitting the work with Coleman and I believe that he's getting at least half of carries tonight. In a game where they will look to establish the run as always, in prime-time at home vs leaky run defense, I believe he'll get over this low line.
