San Francisco 49ers Week 1 Preview: 5 Keys to Beating the Seattle Seahawks

Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers will have no easy task when they take on the defending NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks on opening day of the NFL season.

You wouldn't have to look far to find out the last time the two teams played each other on opening day since Seattle embarrassed San Francisco in 2010's season opener. However, San Francisco got its revenge later in the year when they scored a season-high 40 points against Seattle in a must-win game.

When the two teams match up this Sunday, more than just a simple "W" in the win column will be at stake. The Seahawks will be looking to prove why they are still the team to beat in the NFC West while the 49ers will strive to become the perennial playoff contender that many thought they should have been for a few years now. 

On top of that, the highly anticipated rematch of Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh will finally commence. For those who are not familiar with the history of the two former Pac-10 football coaches, it's safe to say that the two men aren't too fond of each other.

With division bragging rights on the line, here's the list of five keys to victory for the 49ers.

5. Will Frank Gore Be the Frank Gore We Know?

Not only has Frank Gore been the centerpiece of the 49ers offense for the past five seasons, he's been the entire offense.

This preseason, Gore was finally rewarded for his loyalty and hard work and was given a new three-year contract that will allow Gore to focus on nothing but football for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, Gore was not able see the field a lot in the preseason and it has yet to be determined whether or not he will be in "football shape" come Sunday.

Gore is a warrior and no 49er fan will doubt that. If I had to my put money on it, I would bet that Gore will be ready run wild against the Seahawks.

Plus, Gore has rushed for 200 yards in a game twice against Seattle's defense so he will likely be licking his chops as he awaits Sunday's match up.

4. Force Tarvaris Jackson to Beat You

It was a risky move for the Seattle Seahawks to invest in Tarvaris Jackson and name him the starting quarterback of the team. He has yet to prove himself as a capable starting quarterback in the NFL and failed to silence his critics with his poor preseason performances. 

While Jackson is considered to be a downgrade from the previous starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, the rest of the Seahawks offense was certainly upgraded.

Seattle brought in a few toys for Jackson to play with like wide receiver Sidney Rice and tight end Zach Miller. The Seahawks will also have running back Marshawn Lynch on the roster for an entire season.

It is crucial that the 49ers defense make Jackson show that he can lead a team to victory since he has yet to prove that he is capable of such a thing.

3. Can Smith Move the Chains?

Alex Smith is quickly running out of "alexcuses."

With the addition of wide receiver Braylon Edwards and the return of Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree (whose status is still up in the air for Sunday) and Frank Gore, Smith must find a way to distribute the ball to all of these playmakers if the 49ers have any hope of beating the Seahawks.

It is unlikely that the Seahawks are going to score a flurry of points on the 49ers defense so Smith throwing for 300 yards and four touchdown passes won't be necessary.

However, the customary three and outs and the inability to move the ball down field just won't cut it anymore. Smith will need to manage the game and simply get the ball into the hands of the playmakers and let them do all the dirty work.

This offense doesn't flourish through Smith, but it can certainly die by his play.

2. How Will Harbaugh Revise His Schemes from Stanford?

The 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has one advantage that his counterparts do not: the element of surprise.

Even though Harbaugh has already announced that he will be implementing the West Coast offense, that is still quite and ambiguous statement. Plus, I seriously doubt that the Seahawks are expecting the 49ers to come out bombing passes down the field all game.

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area has reported that Tarvaris Jackson has been watching film on Stanford during Harbaugh's tenure with the school. He's also been speaking with ex-Stanford players Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin—and I'm sure Jackson wasn't the only one picking their brains—who are now members of the Seattle Seahawks.

Who knows, Harbaugh might have used this to his advantage and created an offensive scheme that no one has seen him use before.

It is his first time head coaching in the NFL after all.

1. How Will the Offensive Line Hold Up Against the Rush?

This question has been posed so many times that it sounds like a broken record. However, I believe the outcome of this game will largely be determined by how well the 49ers offensive line protects Alex Smith in the passing game.

We've seen a glimpse of how well this offense can preform when the line gives Smith an adequate amount of time to go through his progressions and find a receiver. In the preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, Smith was given ample time in the pocket and continually hit his targets in stride and on time which something 49ers fans haven't seen before from Smith.

However, we've also seen how inept the offense can be when Smith is running for his life from the crazed linebackers and defensive lineman.

If the offensive line protects Smith, the 49ers will score and I don't believe many points will be needed in this match up to come out victorious.