Do or die
Coming off the very exciting win on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks travel to division rivals San Francisco on a short week for their prime time Thursday Night Football matchup with the 49ers.
Matchup: Seattle vs. San Francisco
Venue: Candlestick Park
Time: 5:20 PM (local)
Date: October 18th 2012
Weather: High 85 Low 62. Sunny
Team Records: Seattle (4-2) San Francisco (4-2)
Standings: Seahawks T-1st NFC West. 49ers T-1st NFC West
This game will really show what this team is all about, winning a game like this on the road to move into 1st place all alone would be huge.
Russell Wilson has shown that he has the cajones to play big, and come from behind. But let’s hope we can take control of this game early and ease into the victory at the end.
Game notes/How the matchup
Defense will be the tale of this game I think.
The Seahawks will have their hands full with the likes of Frank Gore running right at them for four quarters, while the 9ers will have a new and improved air assault to contend with, and at the same time trying to contain Marshawn Lynch.
Alex Smith is becoming a “elite” QB in this league, and he has the weapons offensively to tear apart our secondary.
Plus this is a road game, which the Hawks don’t fare too well in, but it is prime time in front of a national TV audience, which has been good to Seattle the past few years.
All I know is, this game could crown the division champ this early in the season.
The Seahawks face the 49ers on Thurday Night Football in prime time
What to watch: Seattle
Can Russell Wilson do it again for the Hawks?
Two, and a almost, come from behind wins in the last three weeks, two of which were on the road. This ain’t your daddies Seahawks, this team comes to play week in and week out.
We still should be sitting at 6-0 right now, but I think the media bias against us is really fueling this team to excel even more.
I’m most looking forward to seeing Marshawn Lynch light up the SF defense on the ground. This is the way Pete Carroll wants to win ballgames, as it takes the pressure off of Wilson.
I would also like to continue to see the rest of the receivers get into the action like they did last week. The 49ers D is a tough one though, this could be a ground game all the way on both sides of the ball.
What to watch: San Francisco
On 49ers.com, they are fearing the worst with the run game of Marshawn Lynch. Which is a good thing for the Hawks.
This game really should determine who has the best defensive unit as well.
The 9ers D will be forced to deal with Lynch for one thing, but also with the passing game now too.
Alex Smith has one of the best receivers to ever play the game at his disposal, as well as Frank Gore, so the SF offense is no slouch either.
Remember they are two weeks removed from their best offensive output in team history, and this is a team that used to have Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Marcus Allen on it.
That has to say something pretty special about this years 49ers team.
Marshawn Lynch turns into a different creature for prime time games
Seattle O vs. San Francisco D
Patrick Willis is the man in the middle for the 49ers, so Wilson will have to avoid getting caught into traps on slants up the middle, and TE passes as Willis can hurt us badly.
Lynch will have another tough time gaining yards against this defense, as they now hold the #1 spot in the NFL.
Luckily though, stopping the run isn’t their specialty, so a ground attack that gains yardage will be the best way to win this game for Seattle.
San Francisco O vs. Seattle D
With the #2 rush defense going against a player like Frank Gore, this should take the 49ers off of their game just a bit.
Alex Smith will be dodging Seahawks defenders in the back field just as the previous 6 QB’s we have faced have had to do.
With the pressure on Smith, he will be forced to dump off short passes to the TE’s and RB’s, which could be a problem with their speed.
Another aspect of the 9ers offense is their ability to use their backup QB in certain situations which need a speed element.
They have been extremely successful when using Colin Kaepernick, especially in the red zone this year.
Injury Report
Seattle: Not posted at deadline
San Francisco: Not posted at deadline
Predictions
San Francisco holds the line at 7. This could very well end up being closer than that. The points total is 37.5, but I’m going under that.
49ers 17 – Seahawks 14
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About Clinton Bell
