Hapless in Seattle
But 49ers not looking past Seahawks
SEATTLE — When San Francisco lost at home in Week 4 to Seattle, a game in which its starting quarterback left injured, it appeared the 49ers’ season was about to spiral into a downfall.
It ended up being the second setback of a fourgame losing streak for the 49ers. But instead of watching its season crumble, San Francisco has rallied and it’s the Seahawks who have fallen apart going into their matchup Sunday.
San Francisco has won three straight and four of five, surging back into playoff contention in the logjammed NFC postseason picture. In fact, there are only two NFC teams that seem to be on the outside of the playoff race as December begins: winless Detroit and the hapless Seahawks.
“We don’t look at it as we just arrived,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We look at it as we’ve done right three weeks in a row. We just look at it that way and we know where we have been at times this year, especially losing the amount in a row that we did.”
If the Niners (6-5) can keep their hot streak going, they’ll have to do it short-handed. Deebo Samuel, who has become one of the bigger offensive weapons from multiple positions in the league, is expected to be out with a groin injury. San Francisco also expects to be without starting middle linebacker Fred Warner.
Not having Samuel takes away one of the main dynamics to what the 49ers try to do offensively. Whether as a pass catcher or a ball carrier, Samuel has become a massive headache for any defense facing San Francisco.
“I think Trent (Sherfield) did a great job of stepping into the game when Deebo went down, made a big third-down conversion for us. Other guys stepping up and just moving some guys around,” QB Jimmy Garoppolo said. “I think it will be a little easier this week with the week to plan for it, but just guys have to step up.”
While San Francisco has plenty it’s playing for, Seattle (3-8) is in the rare position of playing mostly meaningless games for the final six weeks. The Seahawks have lost three straight and six of seven since beating the 49ers in Week 4.
The only NFC team with a worse record is Detroit. And while the Seahawks haven’t been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it’s a matter of time before that happens.
Despite the circumstances, Pete Carroll has no plans to rest his regulars, including struggling quarterback Russell Wilson.
Carroll’s unwavering optimism remains even if Seattle has only a minuscule chance of getting back into the playoff conversation.