A 41-6 playoff loss to the Seahawks in January left a lasting impression on the 49ers.
Immediately after Kyle Shanahan’s team beat the Broncos to improve to 4-0 on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, players began talking about their Week 5 showdown in Seattle against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The 49ers beat the Seahawks 17-13 in Week 1 last season, but their offense failed to reach the end zone in a 13-3 loss in Week 18. In an NFC divisional-round game, Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and an injury-depleted 49ers team never recovered.
Tight end George Kittle ruptured his Achilles tendon in a wild-card win over the Eagles and missed the rematch. He’s eager to return to Lumen Field.
“The atmosphere in Seattle is one of my favorite places ever because of how much they hate us,” Kittle said Sunday.
What should fans expect in Week 5? Here are our predictions.
Offensive star of the game
Kawakami: Kaelon Black. The 49ers need to throw something very different against the Seahawks than they did in the last two meetings last season and the rookie RB is their most intriguing candidate to do it. The 49ers won’t run all over the Seattle defense, but a couple of Black 20- or 30-yard bursts could change a lot — and take some heat off of the 49ers’ passing game.
Lombardi: Brock Purdy. It has be, right? He’s off to a historic start and there’s every indication that there’ll be a long and epic rivalry between the quarterback’s offenses and Seattle coach Mike Macdonald’s defenses. If the 49ers are to go into the belly of the beast and emerge victorious, Purdy will have to be on point — like he was in a game-winning drive at Seattle to open last season.
Defensive star of the game
Kawakami: Dre Greenlaw. The 49ers’ only victory over the Seahawks last season came when they created two takeaways in Week 1; they got zero combined in the two later losses. Can Greenlaw, who hasn’t played the Seahawks since December 2023 and has a personal five-game winning streak against them, create something himself?
Lombardi: Fred Warner. Both he and Nick Bosa played in that Week 1 game, which the 49ers won against the Seahawks. They won’t have Bosa, who sealed that win, this week. But they will have Warner, who’s arguably the best defensive player in football. And that’s a huge deal when it comes to stopping the run and — because Warner can blanket tight ends and pass-catching backs — forcing Seattle to be one-dimensional in its reliance on receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The 49ers’ potential X factor
Kawakami: Who plays fullback for the 49ers? They will miss Kyle Juszczyk for every game that he’s out, but especially when they’re looking for somebody to get a lead block on DeMarcus Lawrence or Nick Emmanwori or release deep down field for a huge pass. I’m guessing Brayden Willis will get a lot of these snaps and no, I don’t expect the same kind of impact.
Lombardi: 11 personnel. That means one back, one tight end, and three wide receivers. That might be the answer to Tim’s question: The 49ers can avoid going heavy without Juszczyk because that’s what Seattle wants with its nickel-heavy defense that can still stop the run (Emmanwori is a cheat code). Instead, the 49ers can spread the Seahawks out and rely on Purdy to loosen the defense to set up the run. Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, and a combination of Jordan Watkins and Brandin Cooks could give the 49ers surprising adaptability on the perimeter.
Remember this: Defensive backs do not enjoy trying to tackle Samuel, and the 49ers didn’t have him for their three games against Seattle last season.
The key stat to track
Kawakami: Purdy TD passes. The 49ers will need to do a lot of other things to stay competitive in this game, but for them to win it, Purdy likely will have to put multiple TDs on the board. Fortunately for the 49ers, Purdy is tied for the NFL lead with 11 TD passes — on pace to get into the mid-40s. His current career high is 31, set back in 2023. Get ready for a lot of Purdy Discourse either way on this one.
Lombardi: Seattle’s rushing output. The Seahawks, who lost running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency and also won’t have Zach Charbonnet or Jadarian Price in this game, rank No. 26 in rushing EPA. That leaves them at risk of being one-dimensional in the pass game, where Smith-Njigba has already been targeted 44 times while all other receivers have only been targeted 15 times.
Long story short: The 49ers can stalk Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold for interceptions if the Seahawks can’t establish rushing balance and become too predictable through the air. They’re in that danger zone entering this game.
Game prediction
Kawakami: Seahawks 20, 49ers 17. The 49ers are fully capable of winning at Lumen Field and have, in fact, done it several times in the Shanahan/Purdy era. But they have to be at their absolute best — and usually need Bosa doing Bosa stuff to close it. They won’t have Bosa plus a few others in this one. The 49ers will probably get two more shots against the Seahawks this season. Presumably with Bosa in those games.
Lombardi: 49ers 20, Seahawks 19. The 49ers are off to a historically good start (opens in new tab)and their defensive line actually generated pressure without Bosa last week. Having a healthy No. 1 receiver tilted the Seattle rivalry in the 49ers’ favor last season (Pearsall in Week 1). Evans is that man.
Second prediction: This will be the first of three 49ers-Seahawks games this season.