Clayton: Things don’t look so good for Seahawks against 49ers
Dec 3, 2021, 3:37 PM
Ross Dwelley of the San Francisco 49ers after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Through the years, the Seahawks have had great success against the San Francisco 49ers. They beat the 49ers earlier in the season in San Francisco and have dominated the series in recent years.
Carroll: Matchup with 49ers, Peterson signing, state of offense
But you don’t get good vibes about Sunday’s contest.
It doesn’t help that guard Damien Lewis isn’t going to play for the second week in a row. That probably puts Kyle Fuller at left guard once again. Then the injury report shows their top three remaining running backs questionable with injuries. Although it’s still possible that Alex Collins, Rashaad Penny and Travis Homer could play but the running game has been missing for at least weeks.
Seahawks Injuries: Seattle thin at RB again, likely without Lewis
Carroll said he isn’t sure who can play or who can’t. They may have to bring Adrian Peterson off the practice squad to fill in.
Plus the 49ers team that lost to the Seahawks earlier in the year is now clicking and is currently the sixth seed in the NFC playoff race. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has played well over the past five weeks. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has done a great job of getting the running game going even though they are missing some of their running backs. No coach does better at getting the most out of unknown running backs than Shanahan.
The 49ers have injury issues themselves. Receiver Deebo Samuel is going to miss the game. Two of their three starting linebackers aren’t playing in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Not having Warner is huge. He is the leader of the linebacker corps and puts everyone in line each play. He gets the green dot, which goes to the linebacker who gets the plays from the coaches in his helmet.
The 49ers have also readjusted their defensive line and done such a good job of stopping the run.
Of course, the big issue for the Seahawks is getting more plays and getting more points. Quarterback Russell Wilson has struggled in his three games because with some of his throws and getting anything going with they offense. They had only 47 plays last week.
If the Seahawks maintain their offensive problems, they won’t win. At 3-8, they are all but out off the postseason. Another loss could put them in position to have a 5-12 or 6-11 season. They do have a few winnable games after the 49ers game.
It’s do or die for the Seahawks Sunday. Things don’t look good.
Follow John Clayton on Twitter.
