On paper, Sunday’s NFC West matchup with the San Francisco 49ers looks like a big test for the Seattle Seahawks and their “Dark Side” defense.
How the Seahawks and 49ers stand in the NFL power rankings
San Francisco is one of three remaining undefeated in the NFL, and its offense has been humming through the first four weeks.
The 49ers rank second in the NFL in points per game (30.5) and seventh in scoring average (389), and they are one of three teams ranked in the top 10 in rushing offense (sixth) and passing offense (eighth) along with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams.
Quarterback Brock Purdy has been excellent for four weeks. He’s thrown 11 touchdowns to just one interception while completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 1,007 yards, has yet to be sacked this year and leads all quarterbacks with a QBR of 89.7.
But if recent history is to be believed, it’s really San Francisco’s offense that will be tested.
Including the playoffs, the 49ers have not eclipsed 17 points in a game while losing three of the last four meetings between the teams dating back to 2024. In the last two meetings, they have failed to reach the end zone, including in a 41-6 loss in the divisional round of the playoffs last season.
Seattle has made life difficult for Purdy in the last two matchups in particular. In those two games, Purdy completed 34 of 54 passes for 267 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He was also sacked five times and lost a fumble.
In a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, ESPN analyst Benjamin Solak explained why Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks defense had the upper hand against Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense.
“That’s why the Seahawks definitely took their club to the 49ers the last two years: One of the big weaknesses of Kyle’s offense is the quarterback can’t change the protections in the line scrimmage because they’re built into the play call, they’re controlled by the head coach,” Solak said.
“So Mike has a really good feel for how Kyle wants to pass protect, so whenever you get into clear second-and-long, third-and-long passing situations, Mike is the guy holding the pen last. And right now, he has a big advantage over Kyle Shanahan in that particular part of the chess match.”
Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player above. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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