Issues for 49ers away from home could get worse in noisy Seattle
Here’s some ominous news before the 49ers’ visit to earsplitting CenturyLink Field on Sunday: They had communication problems in the library-like conditions of Raymond James Stadium last Sunday.
On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said beyond the balky radio headset in quarterback Nick Mullens’ helmet, Tampa Bay’s public-address announcer presented problems during the 49ers’ 27-9 loss.
“Their P.A. guy was as loud as I’ve heard one when we had the ball,” Shanahan said. “It was just echoing in (Mullens’) ears. So the next time we go back there, I’ll complain about that.”
First, however, the 49ers will go back to Seattle, their personal house of horrors where the fans create a din equal to several hundred high-decibel P.A. announcers.
At Tampa Bay, Mullens struggled while making his first road start before a sleepy, sunbaked crowd that periodically awoke to cheer the Buccaneers to their fourth win. Now he’ll visit the playoff-contending Seahawks (6-5), who have won seven straight home games against the 49ers (2-9) dating to 2012 and generally have humiliated S.F. quarterbacks in the process.
During the seven-game losing streak, 49ers QBs have thrown three touchdown passes and eight interceptions, and posted a 61.4 passer rating. The combined score of those games: Seahawks 189, 49ers 80.
“I don’t think he’s going to freak out just because it’s loud.” Kyle Shanahan, 49ers head coach, on quarterback Nick Mullens making his fourth career start in Seattle
What gives Shanahan confidence that Mullens, a 2017 undrafted free agent with three career starts, will be ready for Sunday’s atmosphere?
“I think Nick handles pressure pretty well,” Shanahan said. “He handled it well in Tampa. We just didn’t play very good. So there’s a difference in that. Nick’s been the same guy since he’s been here. I don’t think he’s going to freak out just because it’s loud.”
For his part, Mullens, who played at Southern Miss, noted he played college road games against Alabama, LSU and Nebraska. He didn’t throw an interception in those starts, all of which were losses, and passed for 447 yards in a 36-28 decision at Nebraska as a junior.
“It’s going to be cool to play” at Seattle, Mullens said. “But we’re excited and ready to attack the opportunity and really just focus on us and how we execute.”
Mullens’ execution has dipped since his brilliant debut in a 34-3 win over the Raiders on Nov. 1. He had a 151.9 rating against Oakland, but his rating fell in a loss to the Giants (73.7) and against Tampa Bay (62.1).
The good news for Mullens: Unlike his recent predecessors, he won’t have to face a historically dominant defense Sunday. In the 49ers’ last visit to Seattle, in September 2017, they faced a defense that started seven players who had been Pro Bowlers: defensive linemen Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Sheldon Richardson, linebacker Bobby Wagner, cornerback Richard Sherman and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas.
On Sunday, Wagner will be the only remaining player from that group on Seattle’s 46-man roster.
Despite the attrition, the Seahawks are squarely in the playoff mix in what many expected would be a transition year. Their now no-name defense ranks eighth in the NFL in points allowed per game (22.1) and is 16th in yards (359.7).
“They haven’t been able to be quite as dominant because they were one of the most dominant teams ever in terms of their defense,” Shanahan said. “But they still found a way to keep guys out of the end zone.”