{"id":345996,"date":"2025-09-06T09:44:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T09:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/345996\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T09:44:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T09:44:11","slug":"49ers-news-schrodingers-calf-niners-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/345996\/","title":{"rendered":"49ers News: Schrodinger\u2019s Calf | Niners Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsbayarea.com\/nfl\/san-francisco-49ers\/brock-purdy-christian-mccaffrey-week-1-seahawks\/1872249\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Five 49ers to watch in Week 1 showdown vs. Seahawks as 2025 NFL season kicks off<\/a><br \/>\u201cLenoir will not face the interesting challenges of past 49ers-Seahawks games before DK Metcalf is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But this is not an easy assignment for him and fellow starter Renardo Green.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will try to get the ball into the hands of former Los Angeles Rams standout Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 100 receptions for 1,130 yards last season.\u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2025\/09\/05\/49ers-seahawks-predictions-score-over-under\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">49ers vs. Seahawks: The Standard\u2019s 5 fast predictions (paywall)<\/a><br \/>\u201cKawakami: 49ers 20, Seahawks 17. Brock Purdy probably can\u2019t win this himself \u2014 the 49ers\u2019 young defense will have to hold up against the Seattle running game and the special teams can\u2019t mess up. This will be tense until the end. But Purdy is 3-0 at Lumen Field in his career and has shown that he can avoid the kinds of mistakes that have haunted previous 49ers QBs \u2014 and all QBs, really \u2014 in Seattle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Lombardi: Seahawks 27, 49ers 24. The 49ers should see an inordinate amount of in-season growth in 2025. The defense that takes the field in Seattle on Sunday will not be the same defense that rounds into December form. Perhaps it\u2019s fitting that the regular season starts and ends with games against the Seattle: The Seahawks will visit Levi\u2019s Stadium in Week 18. I think the 49ers will win that game, but they\u2019re still a little too green on the defensive side to grab this one.\u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sfstandard.com\/2025\/09\/05\/kawakami-my-49ers-2025-season-prediction-11-6-taking-back-nfc-west\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kawakami: My 49ers 2025 season prediction \u2014 11-6 and taking back the NFC West (paywall)<\/a><br \/>\u201cBut after watching Kittle, Warner, Purdy, and Bosa in particular look absolutely fantastic in practices, sensing the calming effect of Robert Saleh\u2019s return as defensive coordinator, and taking note of the new crop of players, you understand that this is still one of the most talented, best-coached teams in the NFC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">That guarantees nothing, of course. They were even more talented last season, and first came the cracks in the foundation, then came the collapse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">In last year\u2019s edition of this (for another publication), I said 2024 was the beginning of the 49ers\u2019 \u201clast chance\u201d era \u2014 plenty competitive if their top stars remained healthy, but thin enough and old enough to provide challenges if everything didn\u2019t go right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">Well, obviously, almost nothing went right. I predicted an 11-6 record, and that was actually flipped by the 49ers when all was said and lost. Oops all around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">They\u2019ve still got as many top-line stars as almost any team in the league, though. Until and unless those guys all decline or get hurt at once, 2024 should be the aberration, not the rule. This successful era isn\u2019t at its peak, but it shouldn\u2019t be over. And if young players like Mykel Williams, Dee Winters, Ricky Pearsall, and Renardo Green turn into stars, a new era might start even before the old one is fully gone.\u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6598751\/2025\/09\/05\/49ers-seahawks-season-opener-run-game\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Revamped 49ers defense faces first test in Seahawks ground game. Who fixed it better? (paywall)<\/a><br \/>Not only have defenses become lighter and more nimble to keep up with wide receiver-heavy schemes, but they\u2019ve also pushed their safeties down the field to take away deep shots. Sound running teams can take advantage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">\u201cI think teams are going more to the run,\u201d Saleh said last week. \u201cYou kind of feel that. \u2026 I do think these (offensive) coordinators are starting to get back to running the football and establishing that to get people from playing those two-shell (coverages). So it does seem to be the evolution as it\u2019s going back to the run game.\u201d \u2026.Precisely what Seattle\u2019s offense will look like remains to be seen. The 49ers defenders have been watching a lot of 2024 New Orleans Saints film over the last two weeks because that\u2019s where Kubiak coached last season. But they also know Kubiak will tailor the system to his personnel\u2026..Nick Bosa said that while the 49ers\u2019 defense will have a lot of inexperienced players on the field Sunday, their advantage is that they\u2019ve gone against a very similar offense \u2014 their own \u2014 throughout training camp.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">\u201cYou can window-dress (the offense) in a lot of different ways, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s the same stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the best teams that stop it are attack-scheme teams. And I think if you just stay true to your technique and play the scheme the right way, you don\u2019t have to worry about all the extra stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsbayarea.com\/nfl\/san-francisco-49ers\/christian-mccaffrey-practice-calf-injury\/1872281\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christian McCaffrey \u2018proud\u2019 to remove himself from 49ers practice as precaution<\/a><br \/>\u201cMcCaffrey indicated that his decision to cut his practice session short on Thursday was a matter of learning from his past mistakes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">\u201cI felt like it was the smart thing to do to not finish the practice because I\u2019ve been there before and I\u2019ve been my own worst enemy in situations like that,\u201d he said. \u201cI was proud of myself for not doing it again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\">McCaffrey declined to talk about any specifics of his physical condition.\u201c<\/p>\n<p class=\"duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.49erswebzone.com\/articles\/193840-transcript-shanahan-updates-49ers-seahawks-matchup\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Seahawks Week 1 matchup<\/a><br \/>\u201cSan Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters following Friday\u2019s practice, providing final updates ahead of the team\u2019s Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Here\u2019s everything he said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"duet--article--comments-link _1jdgahs9\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ninersnation.com\/golden-nuggets\/149861\/golden-nuggets-schrodingers-calf#comments\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">0 Comments<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Five 49ers to watch in Week 1 showdown vs. Seahawks as 2025 NFL season kicks off\u201cLenoir will not&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,52307,7,6,1161,252,2624,2623],"class_list":{"0":"post-345996","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-49ers","8":"tag-49ers","9":"tag-49ers-links","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-nfl","12":"tag-san-francisco","13":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","14":"tag-sanfrancisco","15":"tag-sanfrancisco49ers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115156711398588137","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}