The San Francisco 49ers are short road favorites against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1. We’ve heard all offseason how the Niners will need to replace the veterans they’ve lost, but a 6-win team being favored over a 10-win team brings us back to reality.
It’s game week, but the Niners will tell you, “It’s about us.” So instead of focusing on where the Seahawks are weak, let’s discuss where the 49ers excel. Despite winning ten games last season, Seattle is a popular pick to finish last in the NFC West. With that in mind, where can Kyle Shanahan’s squad exploit Mike MacDonald’s in Week 1?
What’s the 49ers’ biggest advantage over the Seahawks in Week 1?
The 49ers face a familiar face in Klint Kubiak, who was their passing game coordinator for a season in 2023. Although Robert Saleh wasn’t in the building, the Niners have plenty of coaches who were and could aid Saleh and the 49ers coaching staff when it comes to how Kubiak thought and sequenced when it came to the passing game.
You have an offensive coordinator with one year of experience under his belt. Even with veteran Derek Carr under center last year, the Saints’ offense was pedestrian, at best. For the 2024 season, New Orleans was a bottom-five-ish unit.
The Jets were a lot of things, but one thing they were not was a lackluster defense under Saleh. We saw flashes of Saleh’s brilliance and creativity during the season. His blitz packages and unique coverages should cause plenty of headaches for Sam Darnold.
There’s no denying Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s talent. However, he was primarily a slot receiver during his first two seasons. What happens when he has to move outside? Because Cooper Kupp is also a slot wideout. The matchup favors the Niners on the outside, while the Seahawks are starting an undrafted free agent from the 2024 NFL Draft at center, and have two underwhelming tackles to date, and a rookie, albeit a first-rounder, at left guard.
Saleh has to be licking his chops. Bryce Huff’s addition should allow Mykel Williams to kick inside and face rookie Grey Zabel. How many 5-star recruits do you think Zabel faced at North Dakota State?
Nick Bosa abused these tackles last year when he lined up in essentially the same spot every time. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that won’t be the case with Saleh in the first series, let alone the entire game.
All in all, I’d expect Saleh to flex his defensive mind on an inexperienced Kubiak. At the same time, Darnold regresses to the mean, makes his usual mistake or two, and the 49ers remember that you’re allowed to force turnovers — something they struggled mightily to do in the second half last season.
Where do you think the 49ers’ biggest advantage is in Week 1? Scroll down and let us know in the comments.
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