The San Francisco 49ers will hope to bounce back from a blowout home loss to the defending Champion New York Giants when they host division rival Seattle Seahawks for Thursday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET.
Both teams, along with the Arizona Cardinals, are tied atop the NFC West at 4-2, with the winner of this game set to take an upper hand in what's become the tightest division race in the league this year, as even last place St. Louis trails by only a game at 3-3.
With a short week to prepare for the 49ers, the team will depend of the coaching staff to get them better prepared efficiently.
In San Francisco's two losses, the team didn't establish the run early and failed to execute late after falling behind and being forced to throw. For the 49ers to operate most effectively, they need balance, and running back Frank Gore is the key. In the losses, he's averaged 10 carries for 45.5 yards. In the four wins, he's averaged 16.8 carries and 92.8 yards.
For the Seahawks, they will enter the game coming off of a huge high, beating the Patriots at home last Sunday 28-27.
If the Seahawks want to have a chance to upset the 49ers, the defense is going to have to do one key thing: stop the league's top-ranked running game (176.8 ypg). In San Francisco's four wins, the 49ers have averaged 223 rushing yards. But in the Niners' two losses, they've averaged only 84.5 yards.
The good news for Seattle is that stopping the run is the defense's strength. The Seahawks' run defense is ranked second in the NFL, and no team has run for more than 87 yards on them this year.
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