Seattle Seahawks November preview and predictions
By Jake Luppino
The Seahawks start November off with another divisional rival, the San Francisco 49ers
Sunday, November 1, 2020: Week 8 — San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks begin the month with another divisional opponent. This game is very important for Seattle in numerous ways. First, it is a divisional game, which are always important. The San Francisco 49ers are 1-1 in NFC West play, while the Seahawks are 0-1. The Seahawks cannot fall back to 0-2 in divisional play. Secondly, if the Seahawks win, not only do they keep themselves in first, but, will also keep the 49ers in last. Lastly, it is always sweet to see the Seahawks beat the 49ers.
If you remember, last year in their first matchup, the Seahawks won on Monday Night Football in overtime, handing the 49ers their first loss on the season (very reminiscent of the Seahawks Week 7 loss to Arizona). The second time they faced each other, the winner would be crowned the NFC West champions. In a late heroic comeback led by Russell Wilson, the Seahawks had a chance to win. But, Jacob Hollister was stopped 1 yard short of the end zone as time expired.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that when these two teams face off, expect it to come down to the wire. Well, as a Seahawks fan we are already used to that. So far on the early year, the 49ers have sustained a lot of injuries to key players. One being former Seahawk, Richard Sherman. Sherman has been hurt for over a month and his status for this game is unknown. Regardless, the Niners defense still finds ways too dominant.
What Will Determine the Outcome: Russell Wilson v Jimmy Garoppolo
There is no denying that the Seahawks have one of the best offenses in the league. While Chris Carson is not expected to play in this one, I think Carlos Hyde will be ready for the lead task as HB1. Russell Wilson was one of the few quarter backs who caused fits for this dominant San Francisco defense last year. Their front 4 is great at generating pressure, but have a hard time containing a mobile quarterback.
Russell Wilson is smart enough to know when to leave the pocket and escape. He is great at this in the fourth quarter when the sense of urgency is quite high. His counter part, Jimmy Garoppolo has struggled early on in the year. He was benched against the Dolphins and he threw 2 interceptions last week. I do not trust Jimmy G. He struggles when the pocket collapses and we have seen Coach Shanahan use more jet motions to keep the defense on their toes. If the Seahawks pass rush can come to life, they can force turnovers.
The 49ers defense is a top 5 defense when it comes yards allowed per game, as they currently allow just over 300 total yards per game. They are exceptionally well against the pass as they only allow 203.3 yards per game through the air. They will have quite the task of slowing down the MVP frontrunner this week. While I can see the Niners defense making some plays, I do not see them making enough plays to win. Coming off a 3 interception performance against the Cardinals, expect Wilson to be extra sharp with his reads.
This will be a very close game that will come down to the wire. I have Russell Wilson making more “money plays” than Jimmy Garoppolo and have the Seahawks taking this one on a game winning field goal.
28. 42. 31. 36. Prediction