Fred Warner has been known to employ vocal motivational tactics, but the 49ers’ star linebacker believes the team’s situation entering Thursday’s battle against the Seattle Seahawks speaks for itself.
“We’re 2-3 going into a Thursday-night game against a divisional rival,” Warner said in the locker room Tuesday. “Primetime, with the stakes of being No. 1 in the division. If I have to give some sort of grandiose speech to get you ready for this moment, we probably don’t have the right guys.”
There’s at least one key guy they won’t have, as an MRI confirmed torn ligaments in safety Talanoa Hufanga’s wrist. He’ll be out for at least a month and might land on injured reserve.
That means the 49ers defense will face the Seahawks, who’ve been the most pass-happy team in the NFL this season, with rookie Malik Mustapha and second-year man Ji’Ayir Brown starting at safety.
Although Seattle quarterback Geno Smith has attempted 199 passes through just five games, he hasn’t been particularly efficient. He ranks No. 21 in adjusted net yards per attempt, which factors in interceptions and sack yardage. The Seahawks have also lost two straight games, and that leads 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa — who said his team is treating this as a “must-win” game — to believe that Seattle will be adamant about changing offensive course.
“They’ve kind of gotten away from the run, but we expect that to change this week,” Bosa said. “We’re going to have to earn it, because I’m sure they’re not too happy with how the last game went in terms of how many times they gave their top back the ball. We’re expecting to probably get a heavy dose of that to start.”
Seattle’s starting running back, Kenneth Walker III, saw only five carries for 19 yards in last week’s 29-20 loss to the New York Giants. At 209 pounds, he’s lighter than the three bruisers approaching 230 — New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson and Arizona’s James Conner — whom the 49ers have faced over the past two weeks. But Walker is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded runner so far this season. His 143.8 elusive rating, which scores how well a back avoids tackles, ranks second in the league.
The 49ers’ run defense was very good against Conner for over a half last week but wore down late, allowing him 51 rushing yards in the fourth quarter. It’ll be significantly cooler Thursday in Seattle than it was Sunday in Santa Clara — it’s expected to dip into the 50s during the game — so the 49ers hope their defense can stay fresher down the stretch this time.
Better efficiency from the offense would help that effort. The 49ers went scoreless in the second half against Arizona, turning the ball over three times.
Seattle’s beleaguered defense, facing multiple injuries across its front, should give the 49ers opportunities to clean up their struggles. The Seahawks started off hot — but against bad quarterbacks. They faced Denver’s Bo Nix, New England’s Jacoby Brissett, and Miami’s Skylar Thompson over the first three weeks. They’ve since been torched by Detroit’s Jared Goff and the Giants’ Daniel Jones.
Seattle defense expected points added ranks
- Weeks 1-3: No. 2
- Weeks 4-5: No. 32
But it’s worth noting that new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was the architect of the Baltimore Ravens defense that gave 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy fits last season. Macdonald was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator when Purdy threw four interceptions in a December loss against them.
“[Seattle’s] scheme is pretty similar, and how they’re calling the plays and stuff looks similar,” said Purdy, who has rewatched the 2023 Ravens game multiple times. “Obviously, the personnel and everything is different, and so we’ve just got to know which guys to look out for in certain situations.”
Purdy had his way with many of those Seattle defenders over two 49ers victories last season. In the first, he spread the ball to nine different targets. In the second two weeks later, 49ers receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk both surpassed 100 receiving yards.
On the other side, 49ers defensive backs have done well to limit Seattle’s receivers in recent games. The headlining matchup there has featured 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward and Seahawks star DK Metcalf. Ward has allowed Metcalf to grab only four catches for 48 yards into his coverage over these teams’ past two meetings in Seattle.
But Ward hasn’t been playing well this season. He’s given up 13 receptions for 198 yards nd is allowing a passer rating of 99.5 into his coverage, the worst mark of his seven-year career. Ward has been on and off the injury report with a knee issue and was limited again during Tuesday’s abbreviated session ahead of the team’s flight to the Pacific Northwest.
In the locker room, Ward said he feels “good enough” for the challenge at hand. Given how much Seattle has been passing, his battle with Metcalf might take center stage Thursday night.
It’ll be yet another installment of a rivalry that dates back to 2022, when Ward joined the 49ers and began covering Metcalf. The hulking Seahawks star talked plentiful trash to Ward back then.
“That was my first time tracking with him, and I strapped up,” Ward said. “So I’ve got a little respect now. He doesn’t really say anything to me anymore.”
Now, the 49ers will aim to silence the Seahawks and the very loud Lumen Field again.