3 Seahawks that will lead Seattle to a Week 2 victory over the 49ers

Seahawks tight end Noah Fant

In 2021, Fant was the leading receiver for the Broncos with 68 catches. There should be no doubt about his ability to catch the ball. It was a little odd that in Week 1 against his former team, the Broncos, he was targeted just 4 times and caught 3 of them for only 16 yards. Maybe Denver simply knew how to defend him. But while Fant was basically being shut down, fellow tight ends Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson were combining for 5 catches and 86 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Fant will be more productive as the season goes on and this could start in Week 2. The 49ers have a good pass rush and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith might need to check down a bit more. Or Smith could find open receivers in the seam of the defense. If San Francisco does overload on Lockett and Metcalf, Fant should see a lot of one-on-one coverage and should be able to beat it,

In Week 1, the 49ers didn’t allow a completion to a Bears tight end but Chicago also didn’t have a tight end that could hurt most teams. Seattle has at least two tight ends that can. In 2021, the 49ers gave up the third-fewest receiving yards in the NFL but tight ends against them were targeted the second-fewest but San Francisco gave up the sixth-most touchdowns receptions to TEs.

If the Seahawks are going to defeat the 49ers on Sunday for the 18th time in 21 attempts, Seattle is going to need some unsung heroes step up. Noah Fant has the talent to do that.