Even though the Seahawks dismantled the 49ers a mere two games ago, we are back with managing editor Kyle Madson of Niners Wire. Since this outing features even less intrigue than the last one, with Seattle all but in the playoffs and San Francisco one of the worst teams in the league, we turned our discussion a little more to the future.
Do the 49ers (fans and staff) actually want to win this game? A division rival in the Cardinals is close on their heels for the No. 1 pick, and . . . Nick Bosa! Do they want to win, or does pride at beating the Seahawks win out?
I think the organization genuinely wants to win. Beating a very good Seattle team with a third-string quarterback would be a really nice win to have under their belts, and they’d still have a top-five pick in next year’s draft. Everyone in that building is so competitive it’s hard to imagine that they “want” to lose.
The fan base is divided. There are some people looking big-picture and knowing a loss comes with a much greater prize than a win at this point in the season. However, there’s an equal number of people tired of losing — and especially tired of losing to Seattle — so a win in any form is a good one.
George Kittle has been on fire lately. How does he do against the Seahawks this time around?
The secret is out on Kittle if it wasn’t already. The Seahawks have the personnel to hang with the tight end and keep him from snapping off big plays. That’s where he’s at his most dangerous, but Seattle is a fast, disciplined defense that may allow some receptions to the tight end, but they’re not going to find themselves in a position where he’s running 85 yards untouched. Kittle had six catches for 70 yards in Seattle. I imagine he has a similar stat line Sunday.
With the cap numbers coming out for next year, it looks like the 49ers have a ton of cap space. How will they spend it?
They might try to hammer out an extension for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. I also imagine they look for inside linebacker depth and an edge rusher, although top-end edge guys don’t hit the market that often. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them throw the kitchen sink at Earl Thomas. They run the same defense the Seahawks do, and there’s not a better free safety for that system than Thomas. They need top-end talent, and paying top dollar in free agency for it may be the way to go if they want to accelerate their rebuild.
For my money, the Seahawks vs. 49ers rivalry, when both were good, was as fun as football gets. How far away are we from getting that back?
It’ll come back next season if the Niners stay healthy and add an edge rusher on defense. Seattle is staying afloat right now as a contender, while the 49ers are getting closer to that point. They’re not far from it, and getting Jimmy Garoppolo back with added talent in the offseason will make these games fun again as soon as next season.
In a lost season like this, what have been the bright spots?
Some of the individual performances, for sure. Second-year undrafted running back Matt Breida has been a revelation. Kittle might break the NFL’s single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end. Rookie third-round linebacker Fred Warner and rookie second-round receiver Dante Pettis have both been tremendous in their first seasons. The 49ers are also still playing hard. That’s such a momentous thing for a 3-10 team. They came out last week and punched a possible playoff team, the Denver Broncos, in the mouth. Coach Kyle Shanahan has these kids playing hard and getting glimpses of that paint a good picture for the future.
