Seahawks vs 49ers: 5 Players That Have Biggest Impact on Thursday Night Football

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks face a must-win duel in Week 7.

On one side, we have the 49ers entering after a demoralizing loss at home to the New York Giants in Week 6. The challenge here is how San Francisco responds, not to mention needing to do so on a short week.

As for Seattle, the Seahawks got an impressive comeback win over the New England Patriots. Russell Wilson and Co. have been building confidence all season, and their challenge is to maintain that level of play.

Interestingly enough, Seattle is 0-2 in the NFC West, with losses coming to the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams on the road. Considering that this game is at Candlestick Park, something has to give between the Seahawks and 49ers.

With that, a guy like Vernon Davis will certainly be a key impact player. So, let's check out him and other players that will determine the outcome of this gargantuan division showdown.

Vernon Davis: TE, 49ers

Vernon Davis is the distinct offensive weapon for the 49ers in this matchup.

Seattle has a complete tight end in Zach Miller, but he's not as explosive as a receiver. Plus, the Seahawks already provide Russell Wilson with an array of solid receivers to target anyway.

Davis, though, isn't too known for his blocking and despite that area being underrated, his impact as a receiver must be enormous. Seattle presents elite talent in the secondary, so that group can rightfully be expected to shutdown San Francisco's receivers.

Still, Davis' size and speed combination is a competitive edge when facing man coverage, and none of Seattle's linebackers will blanket him one-on-one. Alex Smith must target Davis early and often, because it will force a safety to roll down, which widens the deeper passing windows.

He's excellent at getting yards after the catch as well, so Davis performing quick routes such as slants and pop-passes over the middle can consistently move the chains. In turn, his impact takes pressure off the ground game and more importantly, keeps Seattle's defense off balance.

Bruce Irvin: DE, Seahawks

The story here is Alex Smith's blindside, which is where Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin will pass rush.

Not to mention left tackle Joe Staley. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee:

"

As for Staley, his status likely won't be known until 90 minutes before kickoff when teams submit their inactive lists. Whether he plays or not, left tackle will be a focal point tonight.

"

To that end, we know Chris Clemons is a beast and will have an impact: It's too obvious. And regarding the 49ers' left side of the line, it would be smart to always send a blocking running back in that direction for better safe-than-sorry purposes.

Or at the very least, a tight end or bunch receiver set to slow Clemons' initial burst from the snap.

Irvin, however, can't be honored as much, since he's a rookie still needing to prove himself. Yes, the man had great games against the Packers and Panthers, but neither team has been consistent in pass protection either.

Additionally, San Francisco also presents a more reliable ground game than Green Bay and Carolina. Irvin's impact will be crucial, though. No matter how many snaps he receives, he must apply constant quarterback pressure and defend well against the run.

If not, the 49ers will control the game tempo and keep Seattle's offense off the field.

Doug Baldwin: WR, Seahawks

Doug Baldwin needs a big game against the 49ers.

Although he barely produced through the first five weeks, Baldwin has gradually improved. He got three catches for 37 yards against Carolina and then two for 74 yards and a score versus New England.

Now, it is important to point out that his score was from 24 yards catch out, but those kind of big plays will be required to beat San Francisco. If anything, Baldwin knows how to maximize on his limited opportunities as he caught just six passes against the 'Niners as a rookie in 2011.

Fortunately for Seattle, two of those were for touchdowns and they equaled 100 yards.

In this game, Baldwin's best odds of getting open quickly are lining up across Aldon Smith. Smith's ultimate strength is as a pass-rusher, so the 49ers must compensate by rolling a safety down or shifting the linebackers his direction to shield underneath coverage.

A weakness derived from that, though, is a longer gap between the 'backers and deep safety—if a safety rolls down—or a wider second level if only the linebackers shift over. Baldwin possesses the quickness to immediately get open against anyone in man coverage and adjusting pre-snap will allow for impressive yards after the catch.

When a defense blitzes, it must give up something in coverage, no matter what. Therefore, Baldwin must recognize and get open faster over the middle so Wilson can release quicker which reduces the odds of a sack.

Ray McDonald: DE/DT, 49ers

Ray McDonald must anticipate a lot of playside work against Seattle.

And that's due in large part to the Seahawks:

1. Being a run-first offense because of Marshawn Lynch,

2. Seattle needing to mostly run opposite of Justin Smith and Aldon Smith, and

3. Proven ground success from the New York Giants in Week 6—151 rushing yards on 34 carries between Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson.

Obviously, by no means was McDonald the sole reason for Big Blue's success on Sunday. The entire 49ers' front seven got punished. Nevertheless, although McDonald has rightfully seen double-teams his last recorded tackle came against the New York Jets.

And with other sack masters such as both Smiths and then Patrick Willis and Navorrow Bowman at inside linebacker, McDonald is the guy Seattle must attack. In turn, McDonald must not only draw double teams, but defeat them as well as any time he gets blocked one-on-one.

We know McDonald can produce, because 2011 was arguably his best season with 39 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Elite defensive linemen, however, are those who consistently draw then beat double-teams and constantly wreak havoc in the backfield.

McDonald will have the opportunity in Week 7, and shutting down the run to his side gives San Francisco a great advantage up front.

Brandon Browner: CB, Seahawks

Brandon Browner is the NFL's best cornerback who has not earned enough recognition.

After a sensational 2011 season with 23 defended passes, six picks and 54 tackles, Browner clearly has not been challenged as consistently in 2012.

By comparison, he has defended just three passes to Richard Sherman's 10, and Seattle's pass defense ranks No. 2 in opposing yards per attempt (6.2) and tied for No. 5 in allowing only a 57.5 completion percentage.

Facing the 49ers, it would be surprising to see Alex Smith contend much downfield after tossing three picks last week. Seattle is more vulnerable over the middle at the intermediate level, which is where Vernon Davis can find a bit more open space.

The impact of Browner, however, will be his defense against the run more than anything. At 6'4", 221 pounds Browner is a big corner and darting up to set the edge can really stifle San Francisco's ground game.

Also, Browner's strength and size bodes well for press coverage and completely walling off his side of the field. The 'Niners do present reliable receiving targets aside from Davis and Alex Smith can spread the rock around quite well when given time.

So the more Browner locks down and capitalizes on every contest, Seattle's odds of getting a divisional road win will significantly increase.

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