“Over the last few years, the weirdest locker-room vibe I’ve felt — by far — was after last year’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. I’d say that loss went beyond mere frustration — the players felt something was fundamentally off, that they were being asked to play in a way they weren’t used to, that they weren’t themselves.
I don’t get that vibe now. Are they frustrated they let two winnable division games slip through their fingers? Yes. Are they as angry as they were following the 2023 Vikings loss? No, not even close.”
“Devon Witherspoon is not Kyle Hamilton, but he’s not far off. They’re different players but who are similar in their dynamism. Witherspoon, who mostly plays out of the slot, can be shifted around the field at will, and used in a variety of ways much like Hamilton. He punches way above his weight as a tackler.
The Seahawks are without starting corner Riq Woolen, and their other starting corner, Tre Brown, is coming off his worst game of the season against Darius Slayton, who slant routed him into oblivion.
They also had to place defensive end Uchenna Nwosu on injured reserve, are without rookie defensive tackle Byron Murphy, and will have a game-time decision on starting (and very capable) free safety Julian Love.
It’s nowhere near the personnel the Ravens had last year, but the Cardinals have a dreadful defense roster, and Jonathan Gannon out-schemed San Francisco. Is Macdonald able to stifle Purdy again with some of his exotic blitzes?
They’ll sometimes stack three players on either side of the center (six total players split into groups of three) and drop one side into coverage, then blitz on the stacked side with a defensive back like Witherspoon. It’s a four versus five, but the offensive line has to communicate and pick up that overload. Purdy has to rapidly diagnose the blitz, then attack it appropriately. After arguably his worst game of the season Sunday, we’ll see if he and the offensive line are up to the task.”
“For the 49ers, the following players are out:
- DT Jordan Elliott
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf)
- S Talanoa Hufanga (wrist)
- K Jake Moody (right ankle)
The following players are questionable:
- WR Chris Conley (oblique)
- CB Charvarius Ward (knee)
For the Seahawks, the situation is arguably worse. They might be without their three top edge rushers, their best corner and safety, while starting their third-string right tackle.”
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“The numbers suggest the 49ers still have enough of the right guys on defense. They rank ninth in the NFL in both total yards and rushing yards allowed and are tied for eighth in the NFL in sacks. However, they’ve faced offenses that are ranked 31st, 27th, 17th, 16th and 14th in the NFL, and players have said they’ve yet to meet the standard of a defense that allowed the league’s fewest points and yards per game in 2022.
All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward told the Chronicle’s Mike Silver on Sunday that he’s playing the “worst ball” of his seven-season career. Ward and the rest of the 49ers’ defensive backs don’t have an interception after collecting 17 last season.
“We’re losing games, so I don’t think anybody is thrilled with how they’re playing right now,” Ward said. “It’s just been different. I think we need to get back to the level we were at last year when we were making plays on the ball, forcing turnovers.”
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“It’ll take a lot more than one bad game to prove he does not deserve his next contract to pay him in the same neighborhood as the group that includes Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love.”
“Seattle ranks No. 30 in both ESPN metrics for the offensive line — pass-block rate and run-block win rate. Bosa has consistently feasted with huge pressure counts against this Seahawks’ weakness. He should have more opportunities against Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, who’s thrown more than any QB in the league.”
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“Defensive end Leonard Floyd broke a bit of an early season slump last week with three pressures and a sack against the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray.
He will continue to get opportunities to beat one-on-one blocking with Bosa attracting a lot of attention on the other side.
Floyd must build on his game last week, and it should be a little easier to get to the quarterback this week, as Geno Smith is not as elusive in and out of the pocket as Murray.
The 49ers are counting on Floyd to raise his game to the level of double-digit sacks for the season.”