The Seahawks take on the #2 team in the NFC West for the second straight week (the 49ers own the head-to-head tiebreaker over St. Louis for now). The 49ers have given up 41 points twice this year, but the defense is playing better as of late. I am not sure if they are really playing that well or the Vikings and Lions offenses just stalled out, but the 49ers only allowed a total of 18 points over the last two weeks (both wins for San Francisco). If Mike Holmgren continues his shoddy playcalling, then they might make it three good weeks in a row. Nate Burleson saved Holmgren last week.
Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck both might play, but it shouldn't be necessary and it would be nice to give those guys one more week to get healthy. To win this game, the Seahawks defense needs to avoid letting Frank Gore pull a Chester Taylor and break a long touchdown run. The defense has also been very prone to losing track of the running back in the flat on third down. Frank Gore is the 49ers leading receiver (with only 33 catches), so they need to keep tabs on him as a safety valve on third down. Frank Gore in space is not good for the Seahawks.
The offense needs to keep things simple. The 49ers defense is not anything special - they have just been playing hard lately. The Seahawks should have no trouble moving down the field just by running on first down and taking what the defense gives them. San Francisco will bite on the play-action if Seattle runs early and often, opening up things for Darrell Jackson and Deion Branch as the game progresses. If Holmgren insists on long, difficult pass plays on first down, followed by a short run up the middle on second down, the Seahawks will find themselves in third-and-long all day and end up punting or turning the ball over. Calling runs between the tackles (instead of the sweeps that go for negative yards) should be all it takes to win this game.
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