Four 49ers to watch against the Seahawks

These four players of the San Francisco 49ers should be watched closely on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks.
Four 49ers to watch against the Seahawks
Four 49ers to watch against the Seahawks /

The San Francisco 49ers will return to action on Monday night football against the Seattle Seahawks for another divisional matchup. San Francisco will be entering this game coming off of a mini-bye week since they played on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals. 

The 49ers easily needed the extra days for rest and preparation. Giving Kyle Shanahan extra days to prepare for an opponent feels a bit unfair, but it was the rest that they so desperately needed. Because of the extra time, they will now be getting back a bunch of their key players who suffered injuries early in the season. 

Their return to the team only makes the matchup on Monday increasingly exciting. Paying close attention to these returning players and others will be key.

Jimmy Garoppolo 

After his career day against the Arizona Cardinals last week, it only makes sense that Jimmy Garoppolo is a player to watch for this game. It’ll be another primetime matchup for him and the 49ers against a division opponent. Only except this is a game that will be highly contested. Garoppolo showing out again with the masses watching on Monday night will trigger all of the critics.

 He will just further cement that he is indeed the right quarterback for this team to lead them into the playoffs. Garoppolo has a great chance to replicate his performance in week nine on Monday night. Seattle’s defense is shaky at best and was just picked apart by Jameis Winston. The possibility of Garoppolo exploding this game are really high. It should be a fun sight if he is able to get rolling. 

Dre Greenlaw 

With Kwon Alexander out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle, rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw will get the nod in his stead. It’ll be interesting to see how he fares in this matchup in his first career start. Greenlaw will be expected to hold his own in coverage since that is what Alexander excelled at. He has a legitimate shot of softening the loss of Alexander since he’s been recorded as the fastest linebacker on the team. 

Greenlaw could be in line for a strong outing against the Seahawks on Monday night. Seattle doesn’t rely on their running backs catching out of the backfield often and their tight ends aren’t too threatening. What is threatening is MVP candidate Russell Wilson’s ability to extend a play. That is where Greenlaw’s discipline will be tested. He may have covered up a receiver initially, but with Wilson these players have to be stay alert. 

The moment they fall asleep in coverage is where Wilson picks apart a defense. There is also the question of how Greenlaw will fare in the running game. Considering that Alexander was poor against it, Greenlaw could be an upgrade. We’re about to learn a lot from the rookie on the Monday night. 

K’Waun Williams 

One of the unsung heroes on the 49ers’ defense has been slot cornerback K’Waun Williams. He has been putting the clamps on opposing receivers in every game. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams has allowed a passer rating of 49.6 in his coverage, which is ranked the best among all slot cornerbacks. Williams’ stout coverage will be tested on Monday night when he matches up with Tyler Lockett, who is among the leagues best in the slot. 

Lockett has tallied 604 yards receiving out of the slot and if you just look back to his game last week against the Buccaneers, you’ll see how special he is. Williams will definitely be tested in this game as Lockett is a pure talent. It would be too much to ask for Williams to completely erase Lockett, but he must at least slow him down. That is why keeping an eye on him will be interesting. If he cannot handle Lockett, then this will be a long day for the 49ers’ defense.

Joe Staley 

For the first time since week two, Joe Staley will step back out onto the field as the starting left tackle. Staley had been recovering a broken fibula, so he may start off slow against the Seahawks. His matchups shouldn’t be that difficult with Ziggy Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney. They have hardly made an impact as pass rushers, so Staley could have his way in this game. Aside from his matchups, watching how comfortable he looks will be telling. 

Will he be favoring his opposite leg?

 It wouldn’t be uncommon for a player returning from injury to do. There is also the factor of his conditioning. All that time lost most likely has effected his in-game shape. Monday night will be a great litmus test for Staley to see if he truly has recovered from his broken fibula. For his sake, hopefully he doesn’t injure it again and is indeed healthy. If his conditioning is the only drawback, then Staley will be good to go for the 49ers’ playoff run. 


Published
Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.