Bump: How Seahawks could put 49ers’ defense in catch-22

The Seattle Seahawks ran the ball at will during their 13-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago, piling up 180 rushing yards and 4.6 yards per carry in the teams’ regular-season finale showdown.

The future is bright, but Seahawks need to capitalize now

When these bitter rivals meet again in Saturday night’s NFC Divisional Round playoff game, the Seahawks no doubt will try to gash the 49ers on the ground again.

The 49ers, no doubt, will make a concerted effort to keep that from happening.

And that could play right into the Seahawks’ hands by creating explosive passing opportunities for quarterback Sam Darnold and NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“If (the 49ers) want to load the box up, which I think they should, and try to stop this run, … guess what becomes open? The middle of the field, where JSN goes to work,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus said on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“I do think (the Seahawks) will be able to run it. But if you have to go to plan B, I’m all right with that too.”

The Seahawks struggled to run the ball over the first half of the season, with most of their offensive success coming through a big-play passing attack. But as defenses adjusted and prioritized trying to slow down Smith-Njigba, Seattle began finding traction on the ground.

From Weeks 10-18, the Seahawks ranked 11th in both yards per carry (4.5) and rushing EPA per attempt, according to RBSDM.com.

That trend played out in the Week 18 matchup. The 49ers’ injury-depleted defense prevented big plays from Seattle’s passing attack, but surrendered huge performances on the ground by Seahawks running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

As Bumpus noted, the Seahawks’ offensive balance could put San Francisco in a bit of a catch-22. If the 49ers put an extra defender in the box, Darnold and Smith-Njigba can make them pay in the passing game. And if the 49ers try to limit those explosive passes, Seattle has proven it can find success on the ground.

“The thing with the Hawks is they have different weapons,” Bumpus said. “They can run the football, and even if they don’t run it for 180 yards, they can still put up over 100 and make you respect it. That opens up everything for Sam Darnold. … I think that the approach the Hawks are going to have is going to be effective either way.”

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