These 49ers had Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall as their starting wide receivers. Pearsall had a PCL injury that left him virtually useless – it’s not his fault, at least he played – and Jennings was stopped twice. He caught six passes for 58 yards and no total touchdowns in the two games.
This tandem’s complete lack of speed allowed the Seahawks’ defensive backs to attack the line of scrimmage and stifle short passes and the running game. This explains why the 49ers didn’t score any touchdowns and only reached the red zone once in those two games against Seattle.
These 49ers have Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel as their starting receivers. Samuel looks completely rejuvenated, running harder than ever, he’s still explosive and has scored three touchdowns in four games.
And Evans is a huge upgrade over Jennings. That’s because Evans is a future Hall of Famer and defenses must respect his size, catch radius, vertical ability and red zone prowess. So even when he’s limited by a rib injury, as is the case this week, he still changes coverages pre-snap because defenses are afraid of him. His mere presence on the field gives the 49ers a schematic advantage.
Meanwhile, last season’s Seahawks had Kenneth Walker, one of the best running backs in the NFL, and Klint Kubiak, one of the best offensive players in the league. This season’s Seahawks no longer have Walker – he’s with the Chiefs. His replacements – Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price – are both injured and neither will play Sunday.
As a result, these Seahawks are one-dimensional on offense. And their new game advisor, Brian Fleury, never called a game before this season. And he has a hard time making anyone other than reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba a legitimate weapon. This is why the Seahawks offense stinks at third down this season.
Sam Darnold is a good quarterback when he can complement a good running game, but he can’t do that this season. Now he’s the focal point of Seattle’s offense, and he’s prone to turnovers when under pressure.
This is why the 49ers will beat the Seahawks on Sunday. They have a better quarterback than Seattle, a better offensive player than Seattle, and a more balanced offense than Seattle. And while the Seahawks have a great defense, the 49ers defense is really good in its own right.
This will be a grim, violent, low-scoring game that will come down to field goals.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: 49ers 16, Seahawks 13.
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