Seattle Seahawks Enemy Overview: 'Loaded' San Francisco 49ers Bring Terrific Balance, Consistency

Boasting one of the most talented rosters in the entire NFL and an excellent coaching staff led by Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers will be the toughest test the Seattle Seahawks have faced yet on Thanksgiving night.

Over the past three seasons, few NFL teams have achieved more consistent excellence than the San Francisco 49ers, who have won 30 of their 44 regular season games and advanced to two NFC Championship contests during that span.

Unfortunately for coach Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks, they have had to look up at their NFC West rivals as they have re-emerged as one of the league's premier franchises. Heading into the first matchup of the year between the two squads, he holds the utmost respect for an opponent featuring stars such as Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner among others. After watching them blow out the Jaguars and Buccaneers in back-to-back weeks, he knows his team faces a daunting task preparing to face them on Thanksgiving night on a short week.

“These guys are loaded," Carroll said on Monday. "When they’re cooking like they have been the last couple of weeks again, they had their three weeks where they took a dip, but when they got back on track in the last couple of weeks, they looked like the team that was playing earlier in the year. Which means they’re terrifically balanced, they have a defense that they can count on, they’ve been really consistent, really good pass rush, bunch of guys on the second level that really make problems for you.

"Combining that with a team that does mix so well on offense. Their run-pass mix is really good, they’ve been very explosive on both ends of that. It gives you no way to get away from the special aspect of this team. It’s a really well-balanced club."

Though the 49ers did lose three straight games in October after beginning the season 5-0, they were without standout left tackle Trent Williams and receiver Deebo Samuel during that stretch and second-year quarterback Brock Purdy suffered a concussion in a Monday night loss to the Vikings. Since then, with Williams and Samuel back in the lineup, coach Kyle Shanahan's team has returned to dominant form, outscoring their past two opponents 61 to 17.

Ranking third in the NFL in scoring offense and first in scoring defense, from a holistic perspective, San Francisco has been clicking on all cylinders and remains a Super Bowl favorite for good reason. But while Carroll respects the job Shanahan has done and the immense talent at his disposal on both sides of the football, he also knows the team isn't unbeatable, as evidenced by the fact the 49ers are only one game ahead of the Seahawks in the loss column.

Looking to bounce back from a tough loss in Los Angeles on Sunday, Carroll believes Seattle can hang with the best of the best on Thursday night and behind the scenes, he's certainly been pushing the idea a win would instantly jump his team into first place in the division with seven games left to play.

"It’s just a really difficult team to deal with, but teams have figured it out," Carroll remarked. "They have found them out. They were able to get them. We understand that; they’ve got three losses and we’ve got four losses. This is a huge opportunity for us.”

With first place in the NFC West hanging in the balance in the first of two battles between division rivals in a three-week span, here's a close look at the Seahawks upcoming Week 12 opponent, including series history, additions/departures, a deep dive into scheme, and Carroll's evaluation of the supremely talented 49ers.

Series History

49th regular season meeting. While Seattle maintains a 30-20 all-time advantage in the rivalry, San Francisco swept three matchups between the two teams in 2022, including a wild card round win in the postseason. Prior to that point, the Seahawks won five of the previous six games in the series, sweeping all four games in 2020 and 2021 seasons. Since Shanahan took the reins in 2017, Carroll has had the upper hand in the coaching matchup with the Seahawks posting an 8-5 overall record.

What's New?

Departures: Coming off an NFC Championship game appearance, the 49ers suffered their most notable losses along the offensive line and in the secondary. In the trenches, starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey departed for a lucrative multi-year deal to join the Broncos, while quality swing tackle Daniel Brunskill signed with the Titans. On defense, starting safety Jimmie Ward followed former defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to the Texans as a veteran building block to help the first-time head coach implement his system and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley signed with the Lions. San Francisco also lost two rotational pass rushers with Samson Ebukam joining Indianapolis and Charles Omenihu going to Kansas City in free agency.

Last December, George Kittle roasted Seattle's secondary with 93 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a Thursday night win for San Francisco / © Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Additions: Making an already dominant defensive line even better, the 49ers surprised everyone by jumping into free agency right off the bat and signing Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal. The team also brought in a reclamation project in edge rusher Clelin Ferrell, a former top-five draft pick who flamed out with the Raiders. To replace Ryans, Shanahan brought in ex-Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks, providing a talented defense with a proven coordinator carrying an outstanding resume. Without a pick until the third round, San Francisco invested third-round picks in safety Ji'Ayir Brown and kicker Jake Moody, the only incoming rookies who have played in all 10 games so far. At the deadline, the team further bolstered their pass rush by acquiring former top-five pick Chase Young from the Commanders for a third-round pick.

Injury Report

Losing one of their best defensive players for the season, All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga suffered a torn ACL in a win over the Buccaneers on Sunday. Earlier in the season, pass rusher Drake Jackson landed on injured reserve with knee tendonitis and won't be available in Week 12. The 49ers could also be down one or two starting guards this week with Aaron Banks limited at practice due to a toe injury and Spencer Burford battling a knee issue.

Inside The Scheme

While Purdy has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league with 18 touchdowns compared to five interceptions, the 49ers' offense remains built around McCaffrey and an elite run game. No team in the NFL has ran the football more on first down (46 percent) and aside from the Dolphins, they are the only other team that has utilized two-back personnel higher than 40 percent of their first down snaps with fullback Kyle Juszczyk being a key piece of their arsenal. Schematically, they have leaned heavily on zone concepts at a 62 percent clip.

Interestingly, given the success San Francisco has once again had on the ground with McCaffrey leading all rushers in yardage so far, Purdy has only attempted 73 play action passes, ranking 17th in the NFL. But he has been incredibly effective on those opportunities, torching opposing defenses for a league-best 81 percent completion rate, 716 yards, and eight touchdowns, second-most behind only Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, while only throwing one interception.

"Purdy has done a great job with them in the run-pass game," Carroll assessed. "He’s been able to make the big plays, the guys have made the big catches for him. [Christian] McCaffrey is having such a good year and is just an incredible force. He’s right at the center piece of everything that they’re doing. 

Defensively, with Bosa, Young, Hargrave, and Arik Armstead anchoring a ferocious front line, the 49ers haven't needed to dial up extra pressure often, blitzing on just 17.8 percent of their snaps prior to Week 11 per Pro Football Focus. They also rank near the bottom of the league in simulated pressures with a defensive lineman dropping into coverage and a blitzer coming from the second level at 3.7 percent. Taking advantage of their talent in the trenches, however, they frequently utilize stunts on passing downs, playing games on 28 percent of pass defense reps.

Coverage-wise, San Francisco has played nearly 40 percent of its defensive snaps in middle of field open Cover 2 and Cover 4 "Quarters" schemes. As far as middle of field closed schemes are concerned, with Wilks at the helm, they have been in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the NFL calling Cover 1 with man coverage underneath 21.5 percent of the time and Cover 3 34.9 percent of the time. They rarely play Cover 0 or Cover 6, ranking the bottom five in the league in both coverage types.

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