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The story of two different seasons comes to a head when the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers meet in Arizona on Sunday afternoon. Part of the 1:25 p.m. PT slate, this game has major playoff implications as the Seahawks still have an outside chance to climb into the top seed for the NFC playoffs, giving them the only first round leave.
For Seattle to move up to the top spot, they have to beat the Niners, in addition to losing the Green Bay Packers to the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints to the Carolina Panthers. What makes this week difficult to assess is that all three games are included in the 1:25 p.m. PT time slot, which means all teams need to execute their best players and not rest anyone.
For the Niners, their disastrous season is almost coming to an end, as injuries have ravaged this once-promising team for head coach Kyle Shanahan. With their heavy running plan enduring injuries to their offensive line, running backs and even quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, it has been an uphill struggle to produce on offense, relying on Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard to help pilot this. team.
1. Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf earn more accolades in the history books
After his huge performance earlier this year against the Arizona Cardinals, wide receiver Tyler Lockett took a big place behind DK Metcalf in terms of offensive appreciation, as Metcalf took off and Lockett fell back in. the WR2 / 3 category. But Lockett has a great chance of getting into the chosen society of some historically tall members of the Seahawks wide receiver core.
Needing just 36 yards that day, the former Kansas State Wildcat would win another 1,000-yard receiving season, becoming the sixth member in Seahawks franchise history to complete two consecutive seasons over 1000 yards. With the types of injuries San Francisco have in their defensive secondary, that total could be hit early in the game.
For Metcalf, he’s already crossed the 1,000-yard mark and is aiming for the franchise record for yards received in one season, which was pushed back in 1985 by legend Steve Largent to 1287. Metcalf only needs five yards. Sunday to overtake Largent in the record books, but if his first game against the Bay Area club this season is any indication of how this time will go (12/161/2), then he will be in a position to clear this a new record which will be very difficult for him or for any other gap to match in the future.
Both receivers have a great chance of racking up over 100 receiving yards on Sunday because they’re going to “go there,” according to head coach Pete Carroll.
2. Russell Wilson sits down – but only for good reasons
The start-of-season hype train for Russell Wilson’s MVP chances was on full speed, but after a few games filled with poor results from the former Badger, that train was put on hold in the hopes that 2021 would bring him out. again.
For Wilson, he’s always shone at certain points in every season, putting the team on the back burner and producing astronomical numbers. But his low points appear to be significant deviations from his highs, and those drops are taking a huge toll on his MVP title.
Luckily for the Seahawks, their offense is built where Wilson doesn’t need to be an MVP-caliber signal caller, which helps push the workaround towards their wide receivers and running backs. But on Sunday, Wilson will be perfectly prepared to enter the playoffs on a hot streak, especially against a struggling secondary in San Francisco who just wants this season to end.
In their Week 8 game, Wilson set up a modest yardage and completion line, going 27 of 37 for 261 yards, but his four passing scores were certainly a big part of this game. Now Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde were missing the rush attack, so DeeJay Dallas handled most of the litter, meaning Wilson had more control over the playbook and was constantly thrown into important passing situations.
A 350-yard, four-touchdown day for Wilson could certainly be in the cards (and only needing three quarters to do so), especially if the Niners end up turning around in the second half and letting Seattle do what they want. want. them in violation.
3. Seahawks defense enters playoffs as a threat
The biggest exploitable factor of this Seattle team is their defense, as they were constantly shredded in the air and on the ground, helping other teams have days on the pitch against them, even though Seattle ended up taking the win. . But they did come to play in the second half of the year.
The turning point seems to date back to their last game against the 49ers, where they racked up a modest three-sack total. But since then, they’ve led the league in this category, as their 34 sacks in the last nine games of the 2020 season have been a real boost to their defensive production.
Surprisingly, their defense is led in sacks by safety Jamal Adams (9.5), showing just how important he has been since being acquired from the Jets earlier this season. Six other members of the defense have more than three sacks a year, so they were able to spread the fun.
With offensive tackle Trent Williams just added to the injured reserve, along with guard Ben Garland already in IR and crosses Hroniss Grasu and Weston Richburg out, this offensive line is going to have its hands full with a loaded defensive line that seeks to make Beathard’s life is a living hell.
Five bags? Six? Seven? The possibilities are limitless. But what we do know is that it will be a long day for the San Francisco line on Sunday.
4. Seattle goes up but doesn’t gain exemption
With Green Bay traveling to face the Bears in Chicago and the Saints against the Panthers in Carolina, the current top three seeds in the NFC will be on the road to end their regular seasons, so anything could happen.
The Bears can certainly be a tough team and have picked up where they left off when they opened the season on a long winning streak, and they’re still fighting for their life in the playoffs. All they have to do is beat Green Bay and win one of the last NFC spots.
But Chicago high school is going to be in some of its best corners, and with how Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers have come so far this year, it seems like a pretty tough task.
For the Saints, their game against the Panthers without Christian McCaffrey doesn’t seem like too much of a hurdle to overcome, especially given the efficiency of their passing rush on opposing offensive lines this year. But, the big caveats will be how effective Drew Brees is and how he operates with a converted receiver as the starting half, as Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, Dwayne Washington and fullback Michael Burton have all been left out. due to either COVID-19 contract. or be in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
So, Ty Montgomery is now becoming RB1 for this team for this week (and maybe more), which will put more emphasis on Emmanuel Sanders and the healthy receivers who will remain.
These three teams don’t have easy head-to-head matches to end their season, but at least one of the teams above the Seahawks is set to win on Sunday, preventing Seattle from getting the coveted time off.
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