Seahawks Preparing For 49ers 'Eye Candy' Run Game In Divisional Matchup

The Seattle Seahawks gave up 5.2 yards per carry on the ground in their season opener against the Denver Broncos.

The Seattle Seahawks started the season off with a boom, defeating Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos 17-16 in the highly publicized reunion. 

There was a lot that went well for Seattle in that game, as quarterback Geno Smith had a 119.5 passer rating, the defense forced two turnovers, and also sacked Wilson twice. However, there is room for improvement.

The Seattle run defense also gave up 5.2 yards per carry to Denver on over 100 rushing yards. That will have to change against the San Francisco 49ers.

Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks highlighted the 49ers' tendency to feature a select few guys in their running game.

"They feature those guys a lot and those are the guys they want to feature on their offense," Brooks explains. "And so, a lot of the runs and flashing passes and things they want to do is based off those guys.” 

One of those guys? 49ers wideout/running back Deebo Samuel.

Samuel established himself as one of the NFL's most explosive gadget players in recent history last season. Samuel had over 1,400 receiving yards, over 300 rushing yards at a 6.2 yards per carry rate, and eight rushing touchdowns last season. Brooks says he's ready for the challenge that Samuel presents.

“He’s just an athlete," Brooks states. "He’s a great athlete. He can play any position. I respect him as a player, and it’s fun to play against guys like that. They do a lot of different things with him, so I’m ready for the matchup.”

Additionally, 49ers quarterback Trey Lance is always a threat to use his legs on offense, as he had 13 carries against the Chicago Bears last Sunday.

“The challenge is to keep him in the pocket; not letting him get extra yardage when he gets out," says Brooks. "If his first reads aren’t there, he likes to get out and run. That’s where he can hurt a lot of defenses."

Brooks also cited the tendency of the 49ers' run game to utilize motion often.

"A lot of eye candy," Brooks called it. "They do a lot of fullback motion and short motion, a lot of stuff. But a lot of it is the same stuff week in, week out.”

Seattle has the chance to take early control of the NFC West with a divisional win on Sunday against the 49ers. If they want to do so, they'll need to do better defending the run than they did against Denver while containing the high octane "eye candy" run game of San Francisco. 

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