Seahawks versus 49ers: 3 bold predictions for week 17
By Lee Vowell
Seahawks will get 7 sacks
Before season 710 ESPN Seattle asked the question of which would be more true, Seattle would get 28 sacks again (their number in 2019 which ranked next-to-last in the NFL) or 50 sacks. At the time, 50 seemed ridiculous but, of course, so did the 28 sacks last year.
Seattle started the season with 9 sacks in the first 6 games. But since then the Seahawks 34 sacks in 9 games. So now Seattle has 43 sacks, which is 7th-best in the league. The reasons Seattle has been better at getting to opposing quarterbacks are many, but Jamal Adams getting healthier and Seattle trading for Carlos Dunlap might be the two key ones.
In week 8 against the 49ers, Seattle sacked Jimmy Garoppolo 3 times before he left with an injury (to be fair, he was injured coming into the game and shouldn’t have been playing). But in that game, neither Adams or Dunlap played. Nor did cornerback Shaquill Griffin and D.J. Reed was playing nickelback. With Griffin and Reed covering out wide, Seattle’s coverage will be better and allow more time for Adams, Dunlap and company to get home.
San Francisco will also be without 8-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams as he is out with an elbow injury. Seattle will get 7 sacks against the 49ers and finish with 50 for the season. What once sounded like a ridiculous number will be a realistic one after week 17.