[ad_1]
DK Metcalf and the Seahawks are aiming to go 2-0 against the 49ers and finish with 12 wins. (Getty)
A year ago, in Week 17, the Seahawks were considered the underdogs of the San Francisco 49ers.
3 Seahawks Questions: Will the race defense remain strong against the 49ers?
The 49ers came to Seattle for the final of what turned out to be a 13-game winning season. The Seahawks had just lost the previous Sunday to Arizona at home and had lost three running backs to injuries. Still, if they had won that game, they could have won NFC West.
It was close against San Francisco. Russell Wilson led the offense into the red zone in the dying seconds. The officials should have made a defensive pass interference call on a pass to tight end Jacob Hollister, which would have given the Seahawks play from the one-yard line. You think Marshawn Lynch, who had just come out of retirement to help the Seahawks, would have scored and the Seahawks would have won their Premier League title since 2016.
What a difference a year makes.
Sunday was supposed to be a home game for the 49ers, but their home county will not allow the team to train or play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., So they had to spend the last month in Glendale, Arizona. After going to the Super Bowl and losing to Kansas City last year, the 49ers are 6-9, out of the playoffs and in a world of injuries.
Things started horribly for San Francisco. Many key offensive players gathered in Nashville, TN during the offseason and the injuries began, including wide receiver Deebo Samuels with a foot injury. But it was sweet compared to what followed.
The 49ers have been destroyed by injuries and coronavirus cases this season. They had to put players on the reserve injured list 33 times and had 21 players on the COVID-19 list. Third-string quarterback CJ Beathard will start against the Seahawks on Sunday as they end the season without their top two QBs, Jimmy Garopppolo and Nick Mullens. Also among the many 49ers who will not finish the season are Samuel, fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk and cornerback Richard Sherman.
Kicker Robbie Gould signed a contract extension this week but will miss the game due to COVID-19. The injury report came out on Friday with the 49ers knocking out seven players and putting offensive tackle Trent Williams and defensive tackle Jordan Willis in IR. This makes enough players already excluded for Sunday who are not in IR to fill the inactive roster. It’s a mess.
The Seahawks won NFC West with last week’s win over the Rams and have very little pressure on them for this game. Even if a win would take them to 12 wins, they would still need the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers to lose to secure the No.1 seed in the playoffs. They will probably be seed # 3, which is great. They get a home game and there’s a chance they could play Arizona, Rams, or Chicago Bears in the first round.
Related: Who Could The Seahawks Welcome In The First Round Of The Playoffs?
As for the Rams, last week’s loss to the Seahawks could have destroyed them.
Quarterback Jared Goff needed surgery on his right thumb. No one knows if he’ll be available for the playoffs next week if the Rams make it. Safety in Seattle Jamal Adams’ incredible rush to stop Rams running back Darrell Henderson at the yard line was one of the best defensive plays of the season, but Henderson sustained a sprained ankle. Running back Cam Akers could miss the Rams’ game against the Cardinals with his own sprained ankle. Defensive lineman Michael Brockers and wide receiver Cooper Kupp are expected to miss Sunday’s game due to COVID-19.
It will be Rams’ undrafted quarterback John Wolford, 25, to try to beat Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in his NFL debut.
NFC West has been rated as the best division in the league, but it’s sure to have a weird finish. The loser of the Cardinals-Rams game could miss the playoffs if the Bears beat the Packers. Either way, the Seahawks are and have the Divisional Championship, their first since 2016.
Follow John Clayton on Twitter.
More from John: Seahawks’ defense is loaded – and finally playing like it
[ad_2]
Source link