Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald knows his defense will have its hands full Thursday night against the 49ers' vaunted offense.
Speaking on the “Brock and Salk” show Monday, Macdonald detailed how vicious San Francisco’s offense can be.
“If you’re not careful, they can gash you in a hurry,” Macdonald said (h/t Seattle Sports). “You can play 15 plays well in a row and the 16th play creases you … They’re a really good operation, have a ton of respect for those guys.
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“I’ve been going against Kyle Shanahan since 2014. So, he’s familiar with what we do, we’re familiar with what he does, and we got to go out playing. That’s just the simple fact of the matter… The violence and precision on how they run their run game is really good. They hang their hat on what they do.”
The Seahawks and 49ers are coming off deflating losses Sunday, so there is little time to dwell on things before the NFC West tilt on Thursday night at Lumen Field in Seattle.
With San Francisco now 0-2 in divisional play, the team can ill-afford another lackluster performance. Seattle currently is the NFC West leader, but a 49ers win Thursday would give San Francisco a share of the divisional lead and a much-needed morale boost.
The 49ers looked out of sorts during the closing stages of Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. While running back Jordan Mason has been solid so far this season, not having Christian McCaffrey on the field has limited the team’s big-play ability.
San Francisco 49ers
The Seahawks' defense has struggled significantly in the past two games, with its secondary unable to stop the Detroit Lions and New York Giants from ripping off big yards through the air. It will be critical for quarterback Brock Purdy and the rest of the offense to exploit this weakness and keep the 49ers in the lead.
Given Macdonald’s familiarity with Shanahan, expect the Seahawks defense to play at its best in a crucial divisional showdown that could have huge implications in the NFC West.