The San Francisco 49ers come into Matchweek 14 on a three-game win streak, which has seen them move up to the 6th seed and be in playoffs as of right now. Shanahan’s men will hope to get a win that will keep them in playoff positions for one more week. Nevertheless, they will first have to get a result against their biggest rivals in Seattle, something that they’ve struggled with in recent years.
San Francisco comes into this match-up motivated for a result after edging the Minnesota Vikings 26-34 at home. On the other hand, the Seattle Seahawks come from a last-minute loss against the Washington Football Team. In contrast to the Niners, Seattle is on a three-game losing streak.
Despite both teams going into this match in direction directions, it will be a very intense game. According to The Football Database, San Francisco has only beaten the Seahawks in Seattle just three times in the past 10 years. Despite this statistic, Shanahan will try and guide his team to a big-statement win.
San Francisco’s Keys To Victory
It has been a surprise to many how much the Seahawks’ offense has been struggling this season. Pete Carroll’s men currently sit 32nd in the league regarding third-down conversion rates (32.5%). To their luck, they’re going up against the defense with the 6th lowest third-down conversions allowed per game (4.5). If the 49ers’ defense is able to keep the Seahawks’ offense from converting, they could set things up for Garoppolo and the rest of the offensive team.
Another thing that the Niners must focus on is keeping Russell Wilson as far from the RedZone. Wilson is still recovering from his injury, which was shown in his last two performances against Washington and Arizona. Despite him only throwing two touchdowns in the past two games, he always finds a way to torture San Francisco. Nevertheless, the likes of Nick Bosa will have to step up to prevent a Wilson masterclass.
On the offensive side, Jimmy G will have to show everyone what he’s made of. For parts of the season, many have been asking for Trey Lance to start over Garoppolo. Despite that Jimmy G has played a big role in this win-streak, he’s still been susceptible to mistakes. With the loss of Deebo Samuel for this game, Shanahan will have to find a possible alternative for the running game. This alternative could involve having Jimmy G take the reigns and make a big statement against the hated rivals.
This could be a potential make-or-break game for the 49ers regarding their playoff aspirations. To keep these aspirations alive, they will have to win at Seattle for the third time in the past 10 years.
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