49ers vs. Seahawks: Standard’s 5 quick predictions

A 41-6 playoff loss to the Seahawks in January left a lasting impression on the 49ers.

Immediately after Kyle Shanahan’s team beat the Broncos to improve to 4-0 on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, players began talking about their Week 5 showdown in Seattle against the defending Super Bowl champions.

The 49ers beat the Seahawks 17-13 in Week 1 last season, but their offense failed to reach the end zone in a 13-3 loss in Week 18. In an NFC Divisional Round game, Rashid Shaheed returned the kickoff for a touchdown, and an injury-depleted 49ers team never recovered.

Tight end George Kittle ruptured his Achilles tendon in a wild-card win over the Eagles and missed the rematch. He can’t wait to return to Lumen Field.

“The atmosphere in Seattle is one of my favorite places because of how they hate us,” Kittle said Sunday.

What should fans expect in Week 5? Here are our predictions.

Kawakami: Kaelon Black. The 49ers need to throw something a lot different against the Seahawks than they did in the final two meetings of last season and the rookie RB is their most intriguing candidate to do it. The 49ers won’t run all over Seattle’s defense, but a few 20- or 30-yard black bursts could change a lot — and take some of the heat off the 49ers passing game.

Lombardi: Brock Purdy. It’s true, isn’t it? He’s off to a historic start and all signs point to a long, epic rivalry between Seattle coach Mike Macdonald’s quarterback attacks and defenses. If the 49ers want to enter the belly of the beast and emerge victorious, Purdy will have to be on top of his game — as he was during a winning campaign in Seattle to open last season.

Kawakami: Dr. Greenlaw. The 49ers’ only win against the Seahawks last season came when they had two takeaways in Week 1; they had a combined zero in the two subsequent losses. Can Greenlaw, who hasn’t played against the Seahawks since December 2023 and has a personal five-game winning streak against them, create something himself?

Lombardi: Fred Warner. He and Nick Bosa played in that Week 1 game, which the 49ers won against the Seahawks. They won’t have Bosa, who sealed this victory, this week. But they will have Warner, who is arguably the best defensive player in football. And that’s a huge problem when it comes to stopping the run and — because Warner can cover tight ends and running backs — forcing Seattle to be one-dimensional in its reliance on wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Kawakami: Who plays guard for the 49ers? They’ll miss Kyle Juszczyk in every game he’s out, but especially when they’re looking for someone to block DeMarcus Lawrence or Nick Emmanwori or clear the field deep for a huge pass. My guess is Brayden Willis will get a lot of these shots and no, I don’t expect the same kind of impact.

Lombardi: 11 people. That means one fullback, one tight end and three wide receivers. This might be the answer to Tim’s question: the 49ers can avoid going heavy without Juszczyk because that’s what Seattle wants with its nickel-heavy defense that can still stop the run (Emmanwori is a cheat code). Instead, the 49ers can spread the Seahawks out and rely on Purdy to loosen up the defense and set up the run. Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and a combination of Jordan Watkins and Brandin Cooks could give the 49ers surprising adaptability on the perimeter.

Remember this: Defensive backs don’t like trying to tackle Samuel, and the 49ers didn’t have him in their three games against Seattle last season.

Kawakami: Purdy TD passes. The 49ers will have to do a lot of other things to stay competitive in this game, but for them to win it, Purdy will likely have to put several TDs on the board. Fortunately for the 49ers, Purdy is tied for the NFL lead with 11 TD passes – on track to reach the mid-40s. His current career high is 31, in 2023. Prepare for a lot of speech from Purdy anyway on this one.

Lombardi: the hasty exit from Seattle. The Seahawks, who lost running back Kenneth Walker III in free agency and also won’t have Zach Charbonnet or Jadarian Price in this game, rank 26th in EPA. This puts them at risk of being one-dimensional in the passing game, where Smith-Njigba has already been targeted 44 times while all other receivers have only been targeted 15 times.

Long story short: The 49ers can hound Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold for interceptions if the Seahawks fail to establish rushing balance. And become too predictable in the air. They are in that danger zone coming into this game.

Kawakami: Seahawks 20, 49ers 17. The 49ers are entirely capable of winning at Lumen Field and have actually done so several times during the Shanahan/Purdy era. But they need to be at their best – and usually need Bosa to do Bosa stuff to shut it down. They won’t have Bosa or a few others in this one. The 49ers will likely get two more shots at the Seahawks this season. Presumably with Bosa in these games.

Lombardi: 49ers 20, Seahawks 19. The 49ers are off to a historic good start (opens in a new tab)and their defensive line actually generated pressure without Bosa last week. Having a healthy No. 1 receiver tilted the Seattle rivalry in favor of the 49ers last season (Pearsall in Week 1). Evans is that man.

Second prediction: This will be the first of three 49ers-Seahawks games this season.