SEATTLE \u2013 This is where it all starts for the 49ers, whose ultimate finish line is back home at Levi\u2019s Stadium, site of Super Bowl LX in five long months.<\/p>\n
If their 30-year Lombardi Trophy drought finally ends, it will come in a surprising fashion through growing pains and other adversity.<\/p>\n
After all, the 49ers finished in last place last season amid health woes. Cue the good news: at least one NFL cellar dweller in 26 of the past 29 seasons has rebounded to make the playoffs the following season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think we have a team that can compete,\u201d left tackle Trent Williams said, \u201cbut like every year, Week 1 is where dreams and reality meet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last season evolved into a 6-11 record beneath a year-long black cloud of injuries, personal traumas, fourth-quarter collapses, defensive deficiencies, and special-teams chaos.<\/p>\n
Already, there is harrowing d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu, with offensive mainstay Christian McCaffrey suddenly dealing with a calf injury, a year after Achilles tendinitis shelved him for eight games.<\/p>\n
A bigger-picture mystery looms over the overhauled defense and special teams, and no one is disputing that.<\/p>\n
\u201cPut your seatbelt on, enjoy the ride,\u201d Robert Saleh said as he reprises his role as defensive coordinator after leading the 49ers\u2019 2017-20 uprising. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a lot of ups and downs, a lot of really cool moments, a lot of hair pulling moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll find out how ready everyone is for that while focusing on these five areas in Sunday\u2019s season-opening appetizer:<\/p>\n
1. CMC OR NO CMC<\/p>\n
McCaffrey proved indispensable last year, all due respect to Jordan Mason\u2019s fill-in success. Opponents play the 49ers differently when accounting for McCaffrey\u2019s versatility as a runner and receiver, with \u201cthe defense not knowing if he\u2019s going to go out for a pass and the element that brings to them and their scheme,\u201d Brock Purdy said Thursday.<\/p>\n
McCaffrey is officially questionable for Sunday\u2019s debut, regardless of him saying he feels \u201cgreat\u201d after leaving Thursday\u2019s practice and working strictly on the side Friday. He looked on his way back to 2023 Offensive Player of the Year form before Thursday\u2019s calf issue.<\/p>\n
Brian Robinson Jr. arrived only two weeks ago, immediately was designated McCaffrey\u2019s top understudy, and now could take on a larger than expected role from the jump, whether he\u2019s starting in place of McCaffrey or sharing the workload. Isaac Guerendo likely would take on a bigger role, too.<\/p>\n
General manager John Lynch raved Thursday morning about the running back depth, and the early-season offense still figures to lean hard on those ballcarriers until the receiving corps gets back Brandon Aiyuk (after Week 4) and Demarcus Robinson (after Week 3).<\/p>\n
Whoever runs the ball, look for Williams to lead the way at left tackle, probably even more so while right guard Dominick Puni rebounds from an Aug. 16 knee sprain. Also, the new tight end tandem of George Kittle and Luke Farrell could help clear lanes for a running back to be named later.<\/p>\n
2. STOPPING SEATTLE\u2019S RUN<\/p>\n
After parting with quarterback Geno Smith and wide receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks\u2019 switched up their offense to a more Shanahan-like scheme emphasizing outside-zone runs and motion-based plays, all under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was the 49ers\u2019 2023 pass-game coordinator and whose brother Klay is the 49ers\u2019 offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n
Although first-round pick Mykel Williams will be relied upon to set the edge opposite Nick Bosa on the 49ers\u2019 line, an overlooked X-factor is Jordan Elliott, the most explosive and stoutest run stuffer among a defensive tackle corps including veteran Kalia Davis and rookies Alfred Collins and C.J. West.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly we have to stop the run. It\u2019s something we struggled with last year. It obviously will be a point of emphasis,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a good test and a great first game so we can get the sour taste out of our mouth from last season.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as the 49ers\u2019 run defense has fallen, neither of the Seahawks\u2019 two backs have enjoyed much success in this rivalry: Kenneth Walker III has averaged 3.2 yards per carry (52 carries, 164 yards, two touchdowns) and Zach Charbonnet 3.6 ypc. (32 carries, 114 yards).<\/p>\n
3. THIRD-DOWN PASSING<\/p>\n
Each offense employs a run-oriented attack, but 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is being paid $53 million a year to play his part, and the Seahawks brought in Sam Darnold (Purdy\u2019s 2023 backup) to use his talented arm on demand.<\/p>\n
Both receiving corps are suspect, making third-down conversions dicey until proven otherwise.<\/p>\n
The Seahawks\u2019 Jaxson Smith-Njigba is now complemented by Cooper Kupp, formerly a 49ers nemesis with the Los Angeles Rams. Look for either of them, and rookie Tory Horton, to test out the young cornerback corps, including rookie Upton Stout, who could debut as the starting nickel back.<\/p>\n
Purdy can rely on his most trusted target, Kittle, while also tapping into the ascending connection with Ricky Pearsall, not to mention third-down maestro Jauan Jennings.<\/p>\n
Purdy said of Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald\u2019s defense plays a bend-don\u2019t-break style, \u201cmaking the quarterback check the ball down and be smart. They want to get you to push the ball in certain areas. And then they play really tight coverage. It\u2019s almost like you can\u2019t miss. You\u2019ve got to be pinpoint accurate as a quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Purdy is 3-0 in Seattle, with six touchdown passes (four to Kittle) and one interception (the only pick-six ever off Purdy, in the 2023 division-clinching win).<\/p>\n
4. THAT SEATTLE SOUND<\/p>\n
The 49ers\u2019 ability to communicate in a deafening environment is the first thing Purdy attributed his success in Seattle. \u201cIn an environment like that where it feels like they are on top of you in the stadium, you\u2019ve just got to be on top of your operation, breaking the huddle, being on the right cadence for us on offense, making sure the guys hear the right calls in the huddle,\u201d Purdy said. \u201cIt\u2019s a real part of the game and it\u2019s something that you can\u2019t overlook.\u201d<\/p>\n
Puni was a rookie starter last year when introduced to the Seattle sound, to which he now says: \u201cEveryone has to be locked in on what they have to do. There\u2019s really no time to get to the line and scream to Jake or Colt right next to me; they really can\u2019t even hear me. So you have to be confident in what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
A bipartisan crowd, with a heavy dose of 49ers Faithful, won\u2019t mute all the noise.<\/p>\n
One 49ers rookie who\u2019s looking to feed off the NFL\u2019s loudest amphitheater is Mykel Williams. Two years ago, Williams was a Georgia playing in front of 101,915 at Tennessee\u2019s Neyland Stadium when Vols running back Jaylon Wright\u2019s 75-yard touchdown run on the opening play unleashed what Williams calls \u201cthe loudest moment I\u2019ve ever heard in my life.\u201d Georgia, by the way, responded by winning 38-10, and Williams had a sack along the way.<\/p>\n
5. SPECIAL TEAMS SHOCKERS<\/p>\n
Jake Moody made 6-of-6 field-goal attempts in last season\u2019s 32-19 opening win over the New York Jets. Anyone think he can repeat that, after an ankle injury sent his 2024 into the dumpster, with ensuing misses this preseason?<\/p>\n
Moody Mania isn\u2019t the only reason to be on alert.<\/p>\n
He may be back for his third season but so much around him as changed, including the arrivals punter Thomas Morstead and long snapper Jon Weeks, a pair of 39-year-old seasoned pros. New special teams coordinator Brant Boyer has generated greater intensity among his units, which will feature new mainstays such as Luke Gifford, Siran Neal, Chase Lucas and return specialist Skyy Moore.<\/p>\n
Seattle has stunned the 49ers\u2019 special teams in recent meetings at Lumen Field: Laviska Shenault had a 97-yard kick return for a touchdown in last season\u2019s 36-24 Niners win. The last time the Seahawks won this matchup at home, they scored on a fake punt after seemingly going three-and-out on their opening possession, that leading to a 30-23 Seattle win in 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEATTLE \u2013 This is where it all starts for the 49ers, whose ultimate finish line is back home…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":346545,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2080],"tags":[220,2947,1926,2644,1443,4124,7,1921,929,6,1161,252,2624,2623,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-346544","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-hq","10":"tag-bay-area","11":"tag-brock-purdy","12":"tag-california","13":"tag-christian-mccaffrey","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-inside-sports","16":"tag-latest-headlines","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-san-francisco","19":"tag-san-francisco-49ers","20":"tag-sanfrancisco","21":"tag-sanfrancisco49ers","22":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115157867446422068","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346544","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=346544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}