Unrivaled Strategy: The 49ers Set to Take Control of the NFC West on Thanksgiving Night

SEATTLE (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers’ three-game losing run that opened up the NFC West competition feels like a distant memory.

The 49ers play at Seattle on Thursday night, with a chance to extend their division lead to two games. The 49ers (7-3) would win their fourth straight game against the Seahawks and their tenth straight against NFC West opponents if they win.

A win for Seattle (6-4) would wash away the sting of a disheartening loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday and bring the Seahawks equal in the standings heading into a challenging stretch of their schedule.

“Division opponent, and we need to get a win on these guys to even up with them, so that’s pretty clear,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “We understand.”

It’s also evident that any flaws the 49ers displayed last month in losses to Cleveland, Minnesota, and Cincinnati have been addressed. The Niners dominated Jacksonville after their bye week and strolled past Tampa Bay last Sunday.

For the 49ers, this setup is fairly familiar. The Niners routed Tampa Bay in mid-December in quarterback Brock Purdy’s first start, then went to Seattle on a short week and upset the Seahawks 21-13. Purdy passed for two touchdowns and had a passer rating of 117.0 in that win, his second-highest on the road.

“They make an excellent team.” We’re not going in thinking, ‘Oh, we’ve beaten these guys whatever many times before.’ “It’s not like that,” Purdy clarified. “This is a new game, new team, and that’s how we’re looking at it.”

On the other side, Seattle expects quarterback Geno Smith to start after he left last week’s game in the second half with a bruised triceps on his throwing arm. Smith was limited in his throwing during the truncated days of practice, but was a full participant on Wednesday.

GO DEEP

Purdy’s deep passes, which help open up the run game and shorter throws, have brought a new aspect to the 49ers’ offense this season. Purdy’s 20 completions on throws of at least 20 yards downfield are the most in coach Kyle Shanahan’s seven seasons. He has completed 60.5% of his deep throws, with four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 144.3 rating, the highest for any qualified quarterback since Sportradar began recording air yards in 2006.

“I think it’s just another component that the defense has to be aware about and respect,” Purdy said in an interview. “Obviously, when there’s a threat of going deep, it can open up a lot of other things.” We have the personnel to dig deep and the speed to do so. There are chances when the defender gives us the perfect look, and when we have the right play on, let it rip and take a shot.”

ROOKIE WATCH

Three Seattle rookies will have significant opportunities on the national stage. Devon Witherspoon already had one big prime-time game against the New York Giants in Week 4. He’ll need to be a factor on defense again, as he was against the Rams last week, when he made eight tackles, one sack, and one pass breakup.

With Kenneth Walker III out with an oblique injury, running back Zach Charbonnet appears to be in line for his first start. Last week, Charbonnet had 15 carries and will almost certainly need at least that many if Seattle is to be successful on offense.

And the Seahawks are still trying to get wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba more involved. Against the Rams, Smith-Njigba had three catches for 40 yards.

COMPLETING THE FORM

The 49ers weren’t surprised when rookie Ji’Ayir Brown made a couple of big plays late last week after being put into his first significant action following 2022 All-Pro Talanoa Hufanga’s season-ending knee injury. Brown intercepted a fourth-down throw and broke up another in the end zone, continuing his good play from practice. Now that he’s preparing for his first start, defensive captain Fred Warner believes Brown won’t need any particular motivation.

“Other people probably from the outside looking in are probably thinking you got to grab him, look in his eyes and be like ‘Don’t mess this up,'” Warner went on to say. “Obviously, he came in last week and did his thing.” He’s absolutely capable of stepping in and playing the position at a high level, and he’ll fit right in with our game plan.”

FEAST OF THANKSGIVING

Seattle hasn’t played on Thanksgiving since 2014, when it defeated the 49ers 19-3 at Levi’s Stadium and cornerback Richard Sherman carried a turkey in celebration. Seattle is 2-2 on Thanksgiving, although this will be the team’s first Thanksgiving home game.

The 49ers have also played seldom on Thanksgiving, with no wins since 1972.