(Seattle) A few years ago, Kyle Shanahan celebrated his first section title as head coach of the 49ers of San Francisco in the dressing room reserved for the visiting club in Seattle after a match played on a Sunday evening, on the last day of the season, and the outcome of which was known towards the very end of the confrontation.
Shanahan and the 49ers will be able to replicate their 2019 feat and win another National Conference West title in Seattle on Thursday night against the Seahawks, but in far less nerve-wracking circumstances.
The 49ers (9-4) are the NFL’s hottest team after winning their last six games, the longest such streak in the league.
The 49ers have won each of their last four outings by at least 10 points, including a decisive 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. Since their last loss in Kansas City on October 23, the 49ers allowed no rival club to score more than 16 points.
With a win on Thursday, the 49ers will be crowned section champions the earliest since 2011.
“If we win the game, do our job, look at it like it’s a game like any other, we’ll be fine,” observed the 49-year-old quarterback.ersBrock Purdy.
“Kyle (Shanahan) made some points about our standings and things like that, but it’s not something we talk about all the time,” Purdy added.
Despite everything, there are still uncertainties among the 49ersstarting with Purdy, who suffered an oblique muscle injury in the win over the Buccaneers.
Purdy played through the injury for much of the game and is a doubt for Thursday’s game, although it is likely that he will try to play.
In his first game, against the Miami Dolphins, Purdy threw for 210 yards and completed two touchdowns. Last Sunday, he threw two more touchdown passes and recorded 185 passing yards.
“He’s the same guy day in and day out and he’s the same guy on the court whether he makes a good play or makes a bad play,” Shanahan said.
PHOTO GODOFREDO A. VÁSQUEZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Kyle Shanahan
A month ago, the Seahawks (7-6) seemed destined to finish first in their division. But a significant drop in their defensive unit’s level of play and some problems on offense have led the Seahawks to losses in three of their last four outings.
The Seahawks’ recent setbacks center around the ground game. Their ground attack has been ineffective recently, putting more pressure on quarterback Geno Smith and the aerial game.
Also, the Seahawks defense seems unable to stop the momentum of the opposing running backs. She notably conceded more than 200 rushing yards in losses against the Las Vegas Raiders and last week against the Carolina Panthers.
“It happens that (the 49ers) are in the front row of the section and play extremely well. If you hope to have a good year, you have to win games like this,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said.
“You have to win them. You have to find a way to get through the big challenges. »
The 49ers are coming off their best game on the ground offense with 209 yards against the Buccaneers. Now they’ll have the opportunity to take on a team that sits second-to-last in the league, averaging 160.5 yards allowed per rush.
In their first game against the Seahawks, the 49ers had racked up 189 yards, but they’re expecting a tough game.
“No matter what the stats say, no matter what’s happened lately, our matchup with this club is always a little bit different,” tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “They will fight hard. »