Seahawks vs. 49ers: Latest News and Notes Ahead of Thursday Night Football

With both the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers sitting at the bottom of the NFC West division, holding a 2-4 record each, tonight’s Thursday Night Football matchup will be pivotal for either team as we enter Week 7 of the NFL season. Let’s take a look at what to expect going into tonight’s good ol’ fashioned rivalry.

Can the Seahawks redeem themselves after blowing two straight leads against both the Bengals and the Panthers? That seems to be the case, according to various polls, including the most recent betting poll by Odds Shark, where 53 percent of betters placed bets on Seattle.

For starters, they have to figure out how to avoid collapsing in the fourth quarter like we have seen both in the last few games and in the Super Bowl earlier this year. They can achieve this by gaining better results out of their offense, which has only produced three field goals in the fourth quarter in the last five games, per Fox Sports.

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Running back Marshawn Lynch ran for 54 yards on 17 carries in last week's loss against the Panthers, after returning to the field from missing two games due to a hamstring injury. Overall, he hasn't had one of his signature, high-octane performances yet this season; he’s averaging a dismal 3.3 yards per carry.

Tonight serves as the perfect chance for him to go into Beast Mode since he has been a problem in the past for the 49ers defense. In their last five games against the 49ers, Lynch ran for five touchdowns and has had 20 rushing attempts, per Fox Sports.

49ers linebacker Navorro Bowman understands the threat that Lynch alone poses against his team's defense. “It’s very important [to contain Lynch]," Navarro told John Boyle of Seahawks.com. "He’s a back that’s put his staple on the NFL for several years. We understand the type of attention that he deserves so we’re definitely preparing for that."

For the 49ers, protecting their home court is their primary mission. With a win tonight, it will be their seventh home win against the Seahawks and would place them in third in their division. In order to do so and prevent Lynch from going into Beast Mode, quarterback Colin Kaepernick needs to return to the form he has had in the past.

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In the last six games against the 49ers, he has completed 52 percent of passes with two touchdowns and seen interceptions, which clearly isn't his best, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. In the last three games, they have allowed an average of 107.7 rushing yards. (per TeamRankings.com)

This is where the rest of their top guys are needed, like their top rusher running back Carlos Hyde, who has scored three touchdowns and 430 rush yards this season. His return to the field after dealing with a foot injury will add a much-needed spark to the 49ers defense. (per Gilberto Manzano of NFL.com) 

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman spoke about the way Kaepernick has been performing in recent weeks, per 49ers.com: 

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He’s trusting what he sees, they’re doing a great job getting him in positions that he’s comfortable in. They’re getting him on the run, getting him out of the pocket and his receivers are playing very well. Anquan (Boldin) has always been a security blanket for him. Torrey (Smith) has been a huge deep threat for him, and he trusts him with what he’s able to do with this speed. It’s a huge threat. You just have to know where he is on the field and be able to contain him.

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Along with their star QB, perhaps another big factor is the play that Bowman will show as well. This will be the 49ers linebacker's first time facing Seattle since 2013 after being sidelined for the entire 2014 season with a knee injury.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll spoke on Bowman's return to the field during this week's pregame presser, per 49ers.com: "He’s a stud football player. Looks like he’s the leader out there. He’s as tough as you can get, and it looks like he’s back playing football the way he’s always played." 

Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell also spoke on Bowman's return, per 49ers.com: "He’s a special player. It’s great to see him back, first of all. You never want to see a great player like that go down. But he’s back in it and playing like he normally does. He’s running, he’s hitting, he’s playing hard, and he’s one of the leaders of that defense."