Week 5 presents the most important game of the season to date for the Seattle Seahawks, while the San Francisco 49ers have already played their most important game to date, which they passed with flying colours, against the Los Angeles Rams on opening night.
For the 49ers, Week 5 will be their second most important game, as they face their other NFC West rival behind enemy lines at Lumen Field in Seattle. The first clash between these two division rivals should be electric if last year's matchup says anything. A lot is on the line on Sunday, given where both teams currently stand in the division.
Looking back to last year, one important factor going into Week 5 stretches back to last season. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl, beating the 49ers along the way. That said, the 49ers haven't lost a game since then, while the Seahawks have. In that light, San Francisco has something Seattle does not, and they're carrying it into Week 5 with confidence.
The Seattle Seahawks lack momentum; the San Francisco 49ers are riding it
Momentum. Some believe in it; some don't. In sports, momentum can be dangerous or irrelevant. Sometimes it's everything, and sometimes it's nothing. For those who believe in it, you're right to say the 49ers have all the momentum as they head to Seattle, if you look at it from a particular perspective.
San Francisco's 4-0 record is a large part of it, yes. So is the fact that, one-on-one, Brock Purdy is winning the quarterback battle over Sam Darnold (granted, Darnold is still working his way back to form). In fact, Purdy should be crowned league MVP if the season ended today while Darnold's bag is mixed.
The real momentum isn't only in the record or the quarterback play, but in what's happened since the Seahawks and 49ers met in mid-January last year in a bid to play in the Super Bowl. Seattle won the bid in a blowout as the better team. San Francisco lost, but they haven't lost since.
Division rivals don't forget past games, and the 49ers, while having moved on, haven't forgotten the last time they faced the Seahawks.
They've been itching to get their hands on Seahawks uniforms again, especially after the latter lost a game they should have won against the Washington Commanders. The former is undefeated, winning every game they should have won; that is where the momentum belongs.
Furthermore, the 49ers are playing good football—the Seahawks are playing okay football, and that matters more than you think. Anything can happen on a Sunday. Teams projected to win lose, and vice versa. That said, the Seahawks' offense appears to lack confidence and certainty, mainly at quarterback and running back.
The 49ers, despite harsh injuries and a run game that Christian McAffery hasn't gotten going yet, haven't looked weak at any point. Seattle is sputtering; San Francisco is rolling. All that is is more momentum, and it could make the Seahawks' enemy even more dangerous if they're not locked in.
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