Will Seahawks' Geno Smith play vs 49ers Thursday night?
(AP) -- The Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday in a key NFC West matchup. The 49ers have recovered from their three-game losing streak and have won two straight behind terrific performances from quarterback Brock Purdy. San Francisco has the No. 1 scoring defense in the league but are dealing with the loss of standout safety Talanoa Hufanga to a torn ACL suffered last week.
The Seahawks started great then stumbled their way to a 17-16 loss at the Rams last week and now enter a brutal four-week stretch with San Francisco twice, a trip to Dallas and a home game with Philadelphia. And there's concerns about the health of QB Geno Smith.
SAN FRANCISCO (7-3) at SEATTLE (6-4)
Thursday, 5:20 p.m. PST, NBC
BETTING LINE: 49ers by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: San Francisco 5-4-1; Seattle 5-5
SERIES RECORD: Seahawks lead 30-20.
LAST MEETING: 49ers beat Seahawks 41-23 in NFC wild-card game, Jan. 14, 2023 in Santa Clara, California.
LAST WEEK: 49ers beat Buccaneers 27-14, Seahawks lost to Rams 17-16.
49ERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (6), PASS (8), SCORING (4)
49ERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (3), PASS (15), SCORING (1)
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (25), PASS (13), SCORING (16)
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (23), RUSH (19), PASS (21), SCORING (19)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: 49ers plus-10; Seahawks plus-3
49ERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Brock Purdy is coming off one of the most productive two-game stretches in NFL history. He was 40 for 51 for 629 yards, six TDs, no INTs and a 157.3 passer rating that is the best ever in a two-game stretch. Purdy is the first player to have a passer rating of at least 145 in two straight games since Drew Brees in 2018. He had a perfect passer rating this past game, joining Joe Montana as the only Niners QBs to do that in a game with at least 15 pass attempts.
SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: Rookie RB Zach Charbonnet could be asked to carry a big load with Kenneth Walker III expected to miss the game with an oblique injury. Charbonnet had a season-high 15 carries last week against the Rams and will likely get even more turns facing the 49ers. Getting some type of run game established against one of the best run defenses in the league will be vital for Seattle’s success on offense.
KEY MATCHUP: The Seahawks will have three players defensively that never saw the field last season against the 49ers. Rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner and safety Jamal Adams all need to make an impact if Seattle has a chance at slowing down Purdy and the Niners offense. During San Francisco’s three-game losing streak, Purdy threw five interceptions. The Seahawks must find a way to force those kind of similar mistakes.
KEY INJURIES: Niners LG Aaron Banks (toe) and RG Spencer Burford (knee) both could miss the game. … San Francisco S Talanoa Hufanga is out for the season after tearing his ACL last week. … Seahawks will be without RB Kenneth Walker III (oblique), but QB Geno Smith (elbow) is expected to start after getting banged up last week.
SERIES NOTES: The Niners won all three matchups last season, including a Thursday night win in Seattle on a short week, 21-13. The last matchup came in the wild-card round of the playoffs where Seattle led 17-16 at the half, only to get outscored 25-6 in the second half. Prior to the 49ers current streak, the Seahawks had won five of the previous six.
STATS AND STUFF: San Francisco is 2-2-1 in Thanksgiving games but hasn’t won one since 1972 at Dallas. … The Niners are 4-3 in Thursday games under coach Kyle Shanahan. … The 49ers have won nine straight regular-season games against NFC West opponents, one shy of Seattle’s record for the longest streak in the division since realignment in 2002. … San Francisco has nine sacks the past two games. … The 49ers lead the NFL with 14 INTs and are tied for second with 19 takeaways. … Niners TE George Kittle has 20 catches for 354 yards and two TDs the past three games. … LB Fred Warner is the first 49ers player with at least three INTs and three forced fumbles in a season since Nate Clements in 2010. … San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL with 14 TDs this season for the most ever for a 49ers player through the team’s first 10 games of the season. … The 49ers had 11 passes defensed last week for their most in a game since they had 11 against Arizona in 2016. … San Francisco hasn’t allowed a player to rush for at least 100 yards in 37 straight games. … Niners WR Brandon Aiyuk had five catches for a career-high 156 yards last week for his third 100-yard game of the season. … Seattle won its most recent Thanksgiving game, beating the 49ers in 2014. Seattle is 2-2 all time on Thanksgiving. … Since 2010, the Seahawks have gone 10-3 in Thursday night games and will have another next week at Dallas. … Seattle had 12 penalties for 130 yards last week against the Rams. The penalty yardage was the most in the league this season and the number of penalties was tied for second. … The Seahawks lead the league with 76 penalties. … QB Geno Smith has thrown at least two touchdown passes in his past three home games. Eight of Smith’s 12 TD passes this season have come at home. … WR DK Metcalf has four touchdown catches in four Thursday games. Metcalf’s career-high of 12 receptions came against the Niners in 2020. … Edge rusher Boye Mafe had his streak of seven straight games with a sack snapped last week. It was the longest streak in franchise history. … LB Bobby Wagner became the third player in league history with 12 consecutive seasons with 100 or more tackles, hitting the century mark last week. … Rookie CB Devon Witherspoon is tied for third in the league with 13 passes defensed. He also had his third sack last week.
FANTASY TIP: You can never go wrong with RB Christian McCaffrey and he’s had some big games in the past against the Seahawks. McCaffrey has topped 100 yards rushing in three of his four games against Seattle.