Five 49ers to watch in Week 1 showdown vs. Seahawks as 2025 NFL season kicks off
“Lenoir will not face the interesting challenges of past 49ers-Seahawks games before DK Metcalf is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But this is not an easy assignment for him and fellow starter Renardo Green.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will try to get the ball into the hands of former Los Angeles Rams standout Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who had 100 receptions for 1,130 yards last season.“
49ers vs.
Seahawks: The Standard’s 5 fast predictions (paywall) “Kawakami: 49ers 20, Seahawks 17. Brock Purdy probably can’t win this himself — the 49ers’ young defense will have to hold up against the Seattle running game and the special teams can’t mess up. This will be tense until the end. But Purdy is 3-0 at Lumen Field in his career and has shown that he can avoid the kinds of mistakes that have haunted previous 49ers QBs — and all QBs, really — in Seattle.
Lombardi: Seahawks 27, 49ers 24. The 49ers should see an inordinate amount of in-season growth in 2025. The defense that takes the field in Seattle on Sunday will not be the same defense that rounds into December form. Perhaps it’s fitting that the regular season starts and ends with games against the Seattle: The Seahawks will visit Levi’s Stadium in Week 18. I think the 49ers will win that game, but they’re still a little too green on the defensive side to grab this one.“
Kawakami: My 49ers 2025 season prediction — 11-6 and taking back the NFC West (paywall)
“But after watching Kittle, Warner, Purdy, and Bosa in particular look absolutely fantastic in practices, sensing the calming effect of Robert Saleh’s return as defensive coordinator, and taking note of the new crop of players, you understand that this is still one of the most talented, best-coached teams in the NFC.
That guarantees nothing, of course. They were even more talented last season, and first came the cracks in the foundation, then came the collapse.
In last year’s edition of this (for another publication), I said 2024 was the beginning of the 49ers’ “last chance” era — plenty competitive if their top stars remained healthy, but thin enough and old enough to provide challenges if everything didn’t go right.
Well, obviously, almost nothing went right. I predicted an 11-6 record, and that was actually flipped by the 49ers when all was said and lost. Oops all around.
They’ve still got as many top-line stars as almost any team in the league, though. Until and unless those guys all decline or get hurt at once, 2024 should be the aberration, not the rule. This successful era isn’t at its peak, but it shouldn’t be over. And if young players like Mykel Williams, Dee Winters, Ricky Pearsall, and Renardo Green turn into stars, a new era might start even before the old one is fully gone.“
Revamped 49ers defense faces first test in Seahawks ground game. Who fixed it better? (paywall)
Not only have defenses become lighter and more nimble to keep up with wide receiver-heavy schemes, but they’ve also pushed their safeties down the field to take away deep shots. Sound running teams can take advantage.
“I think teams are going more to the run,” Saleh said last week. “You kind of feel that. … I do think these (offensive) coordinators are starting to get back to running the football and establishing that to get people from playing those two-shell (coverages). So it does seem to be the evolution as it’s going back to the run game.” ….Precisely what Seattle’s offense will look like remains to be seen. The 49ers defenders have been watching a lot of 2024 New Orleans Saints film over the last two weeks because that’s where Kubiak coached last season. But they also know Kubiak will tailor the system to his personnel…..Nick Bosa said that while the 49ers’ defense will have a lot of inexperienced players on the field Sunday, their advantage is that they’ve gone against a very similar offense — their own — throughout training camp.
“You can window-dress (the offense) in a lot of different ways, but at the end of the day, it’s the same stuff,” he said. “I think the best teams that stop it are attack-scheme teams. And I think if you just stay true to your technique and play the scheme the right way, you don’t have to worry about all the extra stuff.”
(paywall)
Christian McCaffrey ‘proud’ to remove himself from 49ers practice as precaution
“McCaffrey indicated that his decision to cut his practice session short on Thursday was a matter of learning from his past mistakes.
“I felt like it was the smart thing to do to not finish the practice because I’ve been there before and I’ve been my own worst enemy in situations like that,” he said. “I was proud of myself for not doing it again.”
McCaffrey declined to talk about any specifics of his physical condition.“
Kyle Shanahan shares final updates ahead of 49ers-Seahawks Week 1 matchup
“San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters following Friday’s practice, providing final updates ahead of the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Here’s everything he said.”
