5 Storylines to Watch in Seattle Seahawks Week 6 Game vs. San Francisco 49ers

Currently on a two-game skid, the Seattle Seahawks need a win in a big way against their biggest rival, the San Francisco 49ers.

Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs with the ball after making a catch against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Following consecutive losses after starting 3-0, the Seattle Seahawks will face their second NFC Championship contender in 11 days on Thursday in the San Francisco 49ers. They need a win if they want to remain among the conference’s top teams.

The Seahawks are 3-2 after losing to the Detroit Lions and New York Giants — the latter of which was a far more disappointing defeat to a previously one-win team. San Francisco is 2-3 overall, but records don’t matter much in this divisional rivalry.

Head coach Mike Macdonald will be coaching his first divisional game for Seattle, and it’s a big one. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is seeking his first divisional win of the season after already losing to the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.

Seattle and San Francisco kick off at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday at Lumen Field. Here are five storylines to watch heading into the Seahawks’ Week 6 game versus the 49ers.

1. Will Mike Macdonald’s past success vs. the 49ers translate to Seahawks?

Last season, Macdonald’s Christmas gift to the 49ers was five interceptions of quarterbacks Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold and a 33-19 loss that snapped San Francisco’s six-game win streak. A similar result would go far in boosting the confidence of a presently sliding Seahawks team.

Macdonald, a defensive-minded head coach, was hired to combat Seattle’s division rivals led by offensive masterminds Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. But this Seahawks team isn’t the 2023 Ravens, and the stacking defensive injuries leave a talented unit with a tall task ahead of them.

The 49ers don’t have Christian McCaffrey, who’s dealing with Achilles tendonitis, but Jordan Mason has been one of the most productive running backs in the NFL in his stead. Quarterback Brock Purdy has plenty of other weapons at his disposal, including a rising Jauan Jennings, who is currently 10th in the NFL in receiving yards (377).

Seattle gave up 42 points to the Lions and 29 points to a decimated Giants offense without its top two weapons. The Seahawks’ defensive performance versus the 49ers is paramount.

2. Not one, but two key losing streaks for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks have lost two straight games this season and need to beat San Francisco to maintain its first-place hold on the NFC West. But they’ve also lost five in a row to the 49ers dating back to 2022.

Seattle’s last win over San Francisco was on Dec. 5, 2021 — a 30-23 victory during a season where the Seahawks finished last in the NFC West (7-10 overall) and the rest of the division made the playoffs. The Seahawks won both games against the 49ers that season despite their struggles.

It wasn’t long ago Seattle owned a 10-game winning streak versus the 49ers that lasted nearly five years (January 2014 to December 2018). Shanahan is 7-8 versus the Seahawks since he was hired in 2017. Macdonald has a chance to start 1-0 against the 49ers and get Seattle’s season back on track after consecutive ugly defeats.

3. Will Ryan Grubb establish the run?

After handing the ball to Kenneth Walker III — one of the most talented all-around running backs in the league — just five times in Sunday’s loss to the Giants, Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb admitted his malpractice.

“I’ll own that. Gotta get the ball to Ken [Walker] more,” Grubb said on Tuesday. “And I think we had plenty of run game in the plan. Didn’t have anything to do with not having enough calls for that, just didn’t get called. And for us, you know, we leaned on the wrong thing. And I think if we get Ken 10 more touches, 15 more touches, things are going to look different. So that’s 100 percent on me. And my job is to make sure I get all our guys in the best position possible to win the game, and I didn't do that.”

Walker, in the three games he’s played this season, is averaging just 12 carries per game, and that number is skewed by his 20 carries in Week 1. When Charbonnet was the lead back for two games, he never rushed more than 18 times. The Seahawks are 20th in the NFL in rush yards (527) and 31st in rush attempts (105). Quarterback Geno Smith has 146 of those rush yards on scrambles.

The result is Smith leading the league in pass attempts (199), completions (143) and passing yards (1,466). But it's made the Seahawks’ offense incredibly predictable, which only makes Smith’s job more difficult behind a shaky, at best, offensive line. By Grubb’s own words, expect more of an emphasis on establishing the run versus the 49ers.

4. Can Seattle stop the run?

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) looks to hand off the ball to running back Jordan Mason (24) during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

On the opposite side of the ball, especially as Seattle’s defensive front has been eroded by injuries, the Seahawks are 20th in rush yards allowed per game (128.0).

Giants rookie fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. entered Week 5 with 12 carries for 29 yards. He piled up 129 rushing yards on just 18 carries versus a Seahawks unit that had no answers defensively and struggled to set any semblance of an edge.

“We’re not stopping the run the way we need to be in certain coverages that we’re asking to do,” Macdonald said Monday. “That’s on the edge guys, but it’s on the interior, guys, second-level players, it’s all 11 guys.”

San Francisco’s Mason will be even more difficult to defend, especially with the added threat of the 49ers’ weapons in the passing game and Purdy at quarterback. Mason is second in the NFL in rushing yards (536) and first in attempts (105). He’s carried the ball 10 more times than any other running back in the league — displaying the 49ers’ dedication to the run game.

If Seattle doesn’t shore up its run defense on a short week, the Seahawks will be in for another rough outing against the 49ers’ offense.

5. Seattle must limit self-inflicted wounds.

Both of Seattle’s losses were within reach had they not turned the ball over in critical situations. Wide receiver DK Metcalf is at the crux of the issue.

Against Detroit, Seattle was trailing 7-0 in the first quarter and driving down the field. Metcalf, fighting for extra yards at the end of a 14-yard reception, turned it over at the Lions’ 34-yard line. Detroit returned the ball all the way to Seattle’s 14-yard line and eventually extended their lead to 14 points. The Seahawks couldn’t make back the difference.

It was a similar situation versus New York. Tied 10-10 with an opportunity to go take a second-quarter lead, Metcalf had the ball punched out at the Giants’ 21-yard line — ending a 3-play, 50-yard drive. The Giants drove 77 yards from there to take a seven-point lead and never surrendered their advantage the rest of the game.

Those are game-changing situations, especially with the Seahawks being poor at generating turnovers so far in 2024. Seattle has a minus-three turnover differential, which is tied for fifth-worst in the league. To win against good teams, that has to change.