Keys to victory: 49ers defense has big adjustment to make vs. Seahawks

The 49ers defense badly needs a bounce back game, but Seattle won’t make it easy.

The 49ers defense got punched in the mouth for the first time all season in Week 9 against the Cardinals and rookie quarterback Kyler Murray. Now they face a similar style of quarterback in Russell Wilson when the Seahawks visit Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.

San Francisco has an adjustment to make against one of the NFL’s most explosive passing attacks. Here are three keys to stopping the Seahawks:

1. Keep Wilson hemmed in

There’s no area where Wilson really struggles, but the Seattle offense becomes especially dangerous when he escapes the pocket and gets to reset his feet and look down the field. If he does get outside, the 49ers have to make sure they stay in pursuit and keep him on the run to avoid finding a big shot down the field.

2. Find the run defense

Wilson’s productivity may not matter much if running back Chris Carson gets rolling. He’s a tough, hard-nosed runner who wears defenses out. The 49ers have to get to him before he gets going downhill. If they struggle again against the run, Seattle has enough weapons to beat them.

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3. Who’s the heartbeat?

Kwon Alexander was the emotional driver of the 49ers’ defense. They have to find a way to rekindle his intangibles now that he’s out for the season. If they come out flat defensively, they might be in for a long night. Starting fast and finding that emotional jolt missing with Alexander out is essential. It may not be one player who leads that charge, but they still need to find it.

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Keys to victory: How 49ers offense can find success vs. Seahawks

3 things the 49ers must do on offense to come away with a win Monday night.

The 49ers offense found a new way to win in Week 9 when Jimmy Garoppolo slung the ball around for 317 yards and four touchdown passes. Week 10 against the Seahawks won’t necessarily follow that same formula.

Here are three keys for the 49ers offense on Monday Night Football:

1. Get back in the run game

The returns of Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey and Kyle Juszczyk give the 49ers their full stable of blockers for the first time since Week 2. Their rushing attack has spearheaded the offense through most of the first half of the year, and Monday is a chance for it to hit a new level with a fully healthy offensive line and fullback. Ball control will be enormous against MVP-candidate Russell Wilson, so the run game has to be at its best against a relatively soft defense.

2. Don’t dwell on the absences

It sounds like tight end George Kittle isn’t going to be available Monday night. That means tight end Ross Dwelley will start in his place, and likely take on much of the same role as Kittle. While Dwelley isn’t as talented as Kittle, he’s capable enough as a blocker and pass catcher to keep the 49ers from completely overhauling their game plan. They may not be able to lean on Dwelley the way they do on Kittle, but they need to trust him to make plays and not steer out of the scheme that’s gotten them to 8-0.

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3. Pass (catch) the torch

No Kittle means the 49ers will be without their top target in the passing game. Where those targets get redistributed is going to play a huge role in how well San Francisco moves the ball, especially on third downs where Kittle was so reliable. Dwelley will earn some of those looks, but receivers like Deebo Samuel, Dante Pettis and Kendrick Bourne will need to step into playmaking roles to help extend drives.

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What’s at stake for 49ers in Week 10 showdown with Seahawks?

The 49ers’ hold on the top of the NFC and NFC West standings can strengthen greatly with a win over the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

The 49ers got a victory Sunday without even playing. The New Orleans Saints fell to the Falcons 26-9 and dropped their record to 7-2. That put a little more space between the 49ers and Saints in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

However, the 49ers’ Monday night showdown with the Seahawks was already carrying the weight of a rekindled division rivalry. It was always going to be a huge game at Levi’s Stadium. Now it’s even heavier with a chance to put further distance between them and the rest of the NFC West, and the NFC as a whole.

Let’s take a look at what’s at stake for San Francisco on Monday night. Here’s what the NFC West standings look like after Sunday’s action:

1. 49ers (8-0)
2. Seahawks (7-2)
3. Rams (5-4)
4. Cardinals (3-6-1)

What if the 49ers win?

A 49ers win puts them at 9-0, and drops Seattle to 7-3. That’s a 2.5-game cushion with seven weeks remaining, and one more matchup waiting between these two clubs at the end of the year. It wouldn’t necessarily clinch the division, but it would put San Francisco in a spot where it would need a pretty monumental collapse to slip out of the top spot in the division.

There’s the underlying benefit of re-asserting dominance in the rivalry with Seattle – a rivalry the Seahawks owned for a half-decade. Getting a victory over a playoff team and bitter rival would validate a lot of what the 49ers have done through the first nine weeks.

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What if the 49ers lose?

It’s not the end of the world, but it stings because of how monumental a win would’ve been. The 49ers would be at 8-1 with the 8-2 Seahawks nipping at their heels. That’s not a comfortable spot to be in with games against Green Bay, New Orleans, Baltimore, and another against Seattle all looming.

It would be easy to write off as a fluke if George Kittle misses the game, and losing one out of the first nine games would still be astronomically better than most people thought San Francisco would start, but the 2.5-game vs. 0.5-game separation in the division is significant, so a home loss to the Seahawks would certainly put a dent in the 49ers’ division championship aspirations.

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There’s more than just the division to worry about though. The 49ers are in a position to snag the No. 1 overall seed and ensure the road to Super Bowl LIV goes through Levi’s Stadium.

New Orleans’ loss to Atlanta put a little breathing room between them and the 49ers for the top spot in the conference, but San Francisco can’t exhale yet. There are still plenty of conference-wide consequences for them Monday night.

Here’s what the NFC playoff picture looks like after Sunday’s games:

1. 49ers (8-0)
2. Saints (7-2)
3. Packers (7-2)
4. Cowboys (5-4)
5. Seahawks (7-2)
6. Vikings (7-3)

What if the 49ers win?

Getting the full two-game lead on the Saints and Packers would be massive considering the 49ers play both teams later in the year. Getting separation before those contests eliminates some of the pressure to win for head-to-head tiebreak purposes when the final playoff seeding comes down.

Losing to the Seahawks would squander a gift for the 49ers from Atlanta after they upset the Saints in New Orleans. They have to take advantage of any opportunity to pick up additional ground in the standings. It was already a big game had the Saints won, but their loss and the potential for a two-game lead makes it bigger.

What if the 49ers lose?

It’s not the end of the world because New Orleans did fall to the Falcons. That additional game of insurance is nice to have in the event the 49ers stumble at any point over the brutal back half of their schedule.

San Francisco would still be at the top of the NFC if Seattle emerges with the victory Monday night, but its lead would stick at one game, which is where it was entering the weekend.

While a loss wouldn’t derail the 49ers’ remarkable start, it would weaken their ability to put an early stranglehold on the top spot in the NFC, and keep them from taking a step toward home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

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