Seahawks will beat 49ers on Thursday Night Football if these three things happen

To be completely frank, this is starting to feel like a must-win for the Seattle Seahawks, as they seem to be skidding to a complete halt after starting the season 3-0. The Seahawks must stop the bleeding and get back in the win column, especially against a division foe that's only one win behind them. Separating San Francisco by two games, not to mention the head-to-head win, would be monumental for a team that needs to get back on track.

Over the last two weeks, both losses, the Seahawks have been showing concerning trends that will doom this football team if they're not resolved. It's not the end of the world that a new-look team under a rookie head coach, rookie offensive coordinator, and rookie defensive coordinator looks less than optimal. However, through five games, it's time for the Seahawks to start looking like a cohesive unit and make a statement in the NFC West by burying the Niners down further in the division.

If Seattle really wants to right the ship and take command of the division, there will need to be some major adjustments. And on a short week, it won't be easy. San Francisco has had Seattle's number over the past few seasons, but with San Fran depleted by injury and in the midst of a skid of their own, this is the time for Seattle to get right. Here are three things Seattle must do to win this very important game against the 49ers.

Three things the Seahawks must do to beat the 49ers in Week 6

Establish the run

In San Francisco's three losses, they've given up 146, 98, and 169 rushing yards -- an average of 138 rushing yards allowed per game. In Seattle's three wins, they've rushed the ball on average 21 times by running backs on designed carries for an average of 97 yards per game. There's a clear trend for both of these teams this season.

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb cannot abandon the run for the third consecutive game. The Seahawks' offense works when the run supplements the pass and vice versa. When Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet get going and suck the defenders into the box, it is hard for opposing defenses to stop Geno Smith and his weapons in the pass game. And conversely, as the passing game is effective, it opens the box for clear gaps for the running backs. Over the past two weeks, Grubb has not taken the opportunity of the defense sitting back in zone to run the ball. That must change.

Seattle, by no means, has a strong offensive line. I think we've all come to grips with that. However, Grubb will be doing them a favor if he balances an efficient mix of running and passing. It puts such a strain on the offensive line if the defense knows Smith is going to drop back and pass on every down. If Seattle can use playcalling to maximize their offensive line, it'll allow their offensive weapons to produce much more efficiently -- and that gives them a good chance to win.

Generate pressures to force off-schedule throws

It's no secret opposing quarterbacks have had little trouble throwing on this Seahawks defense over the past two weeks. Jared Goff didn't even throw one incompletion last Monday night, and Daniel Jones looked as good as he's looked as a quarterback in the NFL, in large part to Seattle's ineptitude in pass defense. Both of those quarterbacks looked way too comfortable surgically picking apart the secondary.

It starts up front. Seattle has been missing some key pass rushers, but they look to have most of those guys, minus Uchenna Nwosu, on Thursday night. At nearly full strength, Seattle must get into the backfield on passing downs and force Brock Purdy to throw off-schedule. Over the past two weeks, Seattle has allowed opposing quarterbacks to remain on schedule and dice them up all game long.

In two of San Francisco's three losses, Purdy was sacked twice or more times. In those two games, Purdy threw at least one interception under pressure, and those interceptions ultimately lost them the games. If Seattle wants to minimize San Francisco's weapons, they must get early pressure on Purdy and force him to throw before the routes have a chance to develop. If Purdy can sit back in the pocket, the defensive backs won't have a chance against Kyle Shanahan's patented deep route tree, which Seattle has not been able to stop lately.

Give Geno Smith a chance to win the game

I almost said the last key to win for Seattle was protecting Geno Smith. However, as we've seen this season, that won't happen. And to be honest, it doesn't even matter.

Geno has been under pressure all season long. The bright side for Seattle is that it doesn't seem to affect him at all. Under pressure, navigating the pocket, and escaping free rushers, Geno Smith has been brilliant. The sacks hurt, and they can derail drives, but those seem relatively inevitable at this point. Rushers are going to get into the backfield because that's, unfortunately, just a fact of life this season. But Geno just doesn't care.

If the Seahawks defense can do just enough to get the ball back in Geno's hands at the end of a game with a chance to win, there's a good chance Geno will do something special. Since Geno took over as starting quarterback in 2022, he's led nine game-winning or game-tying drives in the final minutes of the game.

It could've and should've been ten on Sunday as Smith singlehandedly ran the Seahawks into field goal range before the kick was blocked on a maybe-illegal fluke play. The point is when given the opportunity to save the day for his team; there's not much better than Geno Smith, who has thrown 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions in these scenarios over the past three seasons.

Of course, Seattle needs to get the run game going and give Geno and the pass game a chance to open up, but when it comes to clutch time, Seattle needs to give him the ball. Geno has shown all he needs is a tiny chance to make something out of nothing. The Seahawks have a very good chance to win on Thursday night if the team can get the ball in his hands in clutch time.

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