Head Coach Kyle Shanahan raved about Seattle to the media Wednesday despite the Seahawks’ 1-2 record.
The 49ers have buried their pain from the loss to the Green Bay Packers and are now preparing for Week 4. San Francisco looks to get their first division win at home against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.
Head Coach Kyle Shanahan raved about Seattle to the media Wednesday despite the Seahawks’ 1-2 record.
What have you seen from the Seattle Seahawks these first three weeks?
“Very similar to how you usually see them. I know they’re 1-2, which isn’t what they’re used to, and I know their defense’s numbers aren’t very good, but that won’t be the case at the end of the year. They’ve got some really good players. They’ve got really good coaches. They fly around, they hit, they usually cause turnovers and they’re a very good team. And looking at their offense, their new scheme is to me helping. It’s given some other problems and newer problems. Their receivers are as good as it is in this league and they have one of the best quarterbacks to play in the last decade.”
Shanahan has the utmost respect for Seattle because Pete Carrol has dominated in their head-to-head matchup since he joined the Niners in 2017. The 49ers are 2-6 when facing the Seahawks under Shanahan. With the wins coming from Nick Mullens in 2018 and Jimmy Garoppolo in 2019.
Garoppolo didn’t face the Seahawks in 2017 and missed four games in this matchup between missing 2018 and 2020 due to injury. This points to the fact that Garoppolo has only played Seattle twice — with both games coming in 2019. To be fair, the loss came in over time.
It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that Seattles’ defense is bad. However, everyone underestimated the Packers in the trenches last week (me included). San Francisco needs Garoppolo to play his best. There’s no promising that the running game will be better next week. Meaning Garoppolo will need to get the Niners out of Jams. The 49ers’ offensive line needs to step their game up as well.
Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans will face another high-powered offense Sunday. Russell Wilson is known to scramble if pass-rushers lose containment. Having two exceptional receivers will put more stress on this banged-up secondary.
I expect Ryans to send five to get after the QB with man coverage behind it. The Nickel corner is up for grabs. Buster Skrine could see action early if they decide not to play Dontae Johnson. On Thursday, Kyle Shanahan said that Skrine said he’s ready to go, but Shanahan believes Skrine needs more time to learn the defense.
San Francisco still controls their own destiny. This team is built to win despite the injured running back and cornerback groups. The 49ers need to rally around each other and go get a team win Sunday.