San Francisco 49ers: Five Keys to Victory over the Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers open the 2010 season against the Seattle Seahawks. Travelling to the emerald city, the 49ers hope to get the season off to a good start.
Head coach Mike Singletary has the Niners poised for a playoff run. This first game is very important for the 49ers to reach their goal of making the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
After the Niners play Seattle, they will meet the New Orleans Saints, last season's Super Bowl champion. This will be an exciting Monday night football game, but before we look ahead, there's business to take care of against the Seahawks.
I have isolated what I believe to be the five keys to victory for the San Francisco 49ers against Seattle.
5. The 49er Defense Must Contain Justin Forsett
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Justin Forsett is a very good running back and can also create problems as a receiver out of the backfield. The 49er defense must contain Forsett and minimize his effectiveness.
The former Cal Bear, Forsett is in his third season with Seattle. In 2009, he rushed for 619 yards and a very good 5.4 yards per carry. He also caught 41 passes for 350 yards and an 8.5 yard average per catch.
Forsett is particularly dangerous out of the backfield, as his 8.5 yards per catch would suggest. The Niner linebackers will need sure tackling when Forsett gets the ball out in the flat. If they miss, Forsett can easily turn a four or five yard gain into ten to twelve yards and a first down.
Forsett is not a big play, game breaker, type of back, but what he will do is make third down conversions and keep the chains moving. Forsett is a solid player and can keep drives going. If the Niners allow him room to maneuver, he will keep the 49er offense off the field.
4. Alex Smith Makes Connections with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree
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Vernon Davis missed almost the entire preseason, playing very little with Alex Smith in the first game, before injuring his knee. Michael Crabtree did not play in any of the 49er preseason games, due to a neck injury.
The concern is that neither player had much of a chance to play with Alex Smith under game conditions. Timing is always a tricky thing between a quarterback and his receivers. The 49ers can ill afford to have any route running or timing errors, which can result in interceptions.
The Niners have a big edge in talent and familiarity, but a few key turnovers can swing the tide. This will be the first substantive action for both Davis and Crabtree. They will need to catch the ball cleanly and secure it at all times.
Davis and Crabtree should able to get open and if Smith can get them the ball, the 49ers could light up the scoreboard.
3. No Big Special Teams Plays by Leon Washington
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The San Francisco 49ers have a big edge both offensively and defensively. One thing they must not allow is big plays in the return game from Leon Washington.
Leon Washington is healthy after a severe leg injury suffered last year with the Jets. He has four career kickoff returns for touchdowns.
Another interesting fact is that former 49er special teams captain, Michael Robinson was cut and has joined the Seahawks. If the 49ers have any inherent coverage weaknesses, I'm sure Robinson has conveyed them to his new team.
Kurt Schottenheimer, the new 49er special teams coach, must make sure his coverage units do not give up the big play. One of the key areas for the 49ers to improve from the 2009 season, is special teams play. This will be a tough test for their coverage teams.
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2. The 49er Offensive Line Dominates the Seattle Front Seven
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Following the 2009 season, the San Francisco 49ers felt they needed to get tougher along the offensive line. The Niners believe they addressed this need when they drafted tackle Anthony Davis and guard Mike Iupati in the first round of the 2010 draft.
Davis and Iupati will be making their first regular season start against the Seahawks. David Baas also takes over at center for the injured Eric Heitmann. Only guard Chilo Rachal and left tackle Joe Staley are in the same positions they played for the 49ers last year.
The offensive line must jell and minimize their mistakes in a very noisy and hostile Qwest Field environment. Seattle has a lot of new faces on the defense side of the football, so they will be trying to establish consistency of their own.
If the offensive line of the 49ers can protect Alex Smith, he should have a big day.
Running back Frank Gore has had some big games against the Seahawks and this Sunday may be no different. If the line opens some holes and gives him room to run, which I believe they will do, Frank Gore will roll up the yardage.
Gore pounded the Seahawks for 207 yards rushing in the second game of the 2009 season. While 207 may be a bit much, I can definitely see somewhere around 150 against this revamped Seattle defense.
1. Constant Pressure on Matt Hasselbeck
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The San Francisco 49er defense must apply constant pressure against Matt Hasselbeck. If they allow Hasselbeck the time to survey the field and find his receivers, he will cut them up.
Matt Hasselbeck has a strong and accurate arm. However, he is just slightly more mobile than the Douglas fir trees that are found in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
The 49er defense should know exactly where to find Hasselbeck and if they can get to him and hit him frequently, it will derail the Seattle passing attack. I look for a lot of blitzing from the 49er linebackers, especially in second or third and long situations.
The 49er linebackers have shown an excellent ability to rush the quarterback. Expect to see Patrick Willis, Parys Haralson, Manny Lawson and Travis LaBoy coming on the blitz at various times throughout the game.
The San Francisco 49ers Will Take Care of Business in Seattle
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The opening game for both the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks features two of the most intense coaches in the NFL.
The big difference is that Mike Singletary has a better team and has built a roster with a good mix of veterans and younger players.
Pete Carroll is in his first season in Seattle. He will start the year with roughly half of his roster completely new from the end of 2009. It will take time for the players to learn their teammates and gain the cohesiveness that comes from playing together. Such a huge influx of new talent always some time to come together as a team.
The 49ers will encounter a loud, fired up environment at Qwest Field. Pete Carroll will have his team psyched up and ready to play. It will be up to the 49ers to execute properly and that will enable them to weather the initial surge of emotion from the Seahawks.
If the 49ers hit on the five keys that I targeted in this article, they will win this game. I fully expect the game to be close early, but the Niners should pull away as the game progresses, as their superior talent takes over.
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