What's changed since Seattle Seahawks' Week 1 loss to 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are squaring off for the NFC West title Saturday night in the Bay Area, with the winner of this Week 18 showdown also earning the conference’s No. 1 seed and the inside track to the Super Bowl.

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It’s a rematch from all the way back in Week 1, when the 49ers prevailed for a 17-13 road win over the Seahawks.

Plenty will be different this time around.

Most notably, the 49ers’ defense is without a pair of defensive superstars in five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa and four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner. Bosa suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3, while Warner has been sidelined by a dislocated and broken ankle since Week 6.

On the flip side, the Seahawks’ defense will have standout rookie safety Nick Emmanwori, who was limited to just four snaps in the Week 1 matchup before suffering an ankle injury.

But aside from personnel differences, what else has changed for these NFC West rivals since their season-opening encounter nearly four months ago?

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who recently went back and rewatched that Week 1 game, was posed that question Tuesday during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

For one, Jeremiah noted that Seattle’s second-ranked defense has generally been much tighter in coverage than it was in the season opener.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 265 yards in the first matchup, which were the third-most passing yards the Seahawks have allowed all season. Purdy had five completions of 20-plus yards in that game, which also was the third-most Seattle has allowed this year.

“I thought that the coverage for Seattle was a lot more loose (in Week 1) than it is now,” Jeremiah said. “I just think they’re a lot more connected. In that game, it was a lot of two-high shell, (getting) a ton of depth with those safeties. There was just some room (downfield), and (the 49ers) attacked it.

“The coverage now, the way (Seattle’s defense) is playing, is much tighter,” he added. “And I thought the pass rush has only gotten stronger and stronger. … So defensively, I don’t think they’re gonna play with quite as much depth, and I think they’ll do a little bit better job of staying connected.”

But at the same time, the 49ers’ offense has been firing on all cylinders down the stretch.

Since Purdy returned from an early-season toe injury in mid-November, the 49ers have averaged 35.7 points per game during their six-game win streak. And they’ve hit another gear over the past two weeks, piling up 48 points against the Indianapolis Colts and 42 points against the Chicago Bears.

“They’re humming right now,” Jeremiah said. “They were an absolute machine the other night (against Chicago).”

Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

What’s changed since Seattle Seahawks’ Week 1 loss to 49ers

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