Seahawks vs. 49ers Preview: The Most Anticipated Game of the Season
By Matthew Gray
Pete Carroll has to come out aggressive, putting the Niners to the test out of the gate. This will enable the Seahawks to jump out early, similar to what they did in week 16 last year, when they scored 14 points in the first and second quarters on the Super Bowl runner-ups.
The Seahawks will look to run the ball and establish the ground game early and often. So the 49ers’ will certainly hope to contain the Seahawks momentum. But that is going to be easier said than done, for the reason that the cornerbacks are the 49ers’ biggest weakness. In the past they’ve been hidden by the pass rush and the high power offense. Against the Packers, the 49ers’ top-three corners – Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown and Nnamdi Asomugha – got exposed.
As reported by Pro Football Focus, Asomugha allowed a 105.3 passer rating, Brown allowed a 118.8 rating and Rogers allowed a depressing 158.3 rating.
The Seahawks know this, and Pete Carroll will likely spread out Baldwin, Sydney Rice, and Tate forcing the 49ers’ db’s to play back, opening up the field for Marshawn Lynch and company.
The two franchises have played against each other 28 times splitting the series down the middle 14 – 14 – 0. The game kicks off at 8:30 pm EST at Century Link Field.