Seahawks Reveal Plan Against 49ers Offense in Week 11 Rematch

The San Francisco 49ers offense poses an even bigger problem for the Seattle Seahawks defense with Christian McCaffrey returning to play.

Nov 10, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) catches the ball over Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Fresh off their bye week and looking to make a second half run, the Seattle Seahawks are getting ready to face a rejuvenated San Francisco 49ers offense that just got superstar running back Christian McCaffrey back on the field.

McCaffrey was dealing with an Achilles injury during the team's last meeting back in Week 6 and missed the first eight games, but his presence as a dual-threat back changes the way coach Mike Macdonald and the Seahawks will prepare for this second matchup.

"You have last year's tape and then all the things they've done off of it, and then you have kind of a one-game sample and they were doing a lot of the things that they do with McCaffrey now, albeit it might've been with Deebo (Samuel) or with the running backs that they had out there," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "So it's kind of hard to gauge the percentage of how much they're going to change, but you're talking about interchangeable parts and guys that can do multiple things, I think you're probably more likely to get Christian in funkier spots that they normally didn't do with the other running backs or really any other running back in the league. So those are things you have to account for and really any situation. So they do a great job of, everybody kind of knows all the different spots and they don't lose timing or anything like that. So that's what you're looking at."

The Seahawks also have to deal with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who is on pace for a career year. So far this season, Purdy has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 2,454 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Macdonald says that the team will look to do better against Purdy than it did in the first meeting of the year, particularly when it comes to pressuring him in the pocket.

"He's a tough guy to get on the ground and he is looking to extend plays more this year and that adds an element to their offense that you definitely have to account for. So how you build the rush plan pressure-wise, it's not tough because it's not easy to just throw a bunch of bodies at them because he understands when they're hot and where to go with the ball and they have answers built into all those types of things. So yeah, you got to try to get him on the ground," Macdonald said.

The Seahawks have a tall task against the Niners, but if they can execute their game plan to perfection, they could have a chance to pull off a big upset, which could jumpstart their season after losing five of their past six games to fall to the bottom of the NFC West.

The Seahawks play the 49ers on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PT. The game can be watched on FOX.

More Seahawks News

Seahawks Counting on Abraham Lucas to Fortify 'Best Version' of Offensive Line

Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald Talks Bye Week Benefits

Should Seahawks Take Flier on Veteran G Nate Davis?

Seahawks Activate Starting RT Abraham Lucas from PUP List

Offensive Line Questions Persist as Seahawks Prepare For 49ers Rematch