Kyle Shanahan might be trying to play it cool, but you just know our Seahawks’ D is living rent-free in his head after what he admitted about trying to beat them in last year’s divisional playoffs. The dude literally confessed he’s “not one to ask” when it comes to solving our defense, which should tell you everything you need to know about what’s coming up early this season.
Our D Still Stuffs the Run, Even When the Niners Try Trickery
Look, we know the offense’s line might not be perfectly gelled yet. Some tape shows they’re “not as good as I thought they’d be” early on, and yeah, our defense has missed a few more tackles. But let’s be real, our D is still nasty. Shanahan himself broke it down back in February, saying what makes Seattle’s defense so special is how we prevent explosive passing plays by keeping those two safeties deep. And get this, even with those safeties practically residing in Spokane, our nickel defense still stuffs opponents’ rushing attacks cold.
Think about it: last year, in those playoffs, Shanahan tried everything to get yards against us. A double-reverse pass? One yard. A 4th-and-1 option pitch to Christian McCaffrey? Lost three yards. Even Dominick Puni, their left guard, had to admit, “They’re never out of position. They always know where each other is going to be. You can see it on film. They’re always just attached.” That’s the kind of recognition and cohesion that makes a defense feared, and it’s still very much here. We might be missing a few tackles here and there early in the season, but that disruptive energy is absolutely still there.
Even Their Own Guys Are Hyping Up a Guard’s “Speed” After a Touchdown
The 49ers offense thinks they can make plays against us, especially if they get the ball in space with guys like Kittle, McCaffrey, and a “half-healthy Evans,” plus Deebo and Kaelon sprinkled in. Good luck, fellas. Their offensive line is apparently getting a “great chance to show that their improvement is for real,” especially in the run game, which Shanahan’s crew really struggled with in last year’s playoff loss. We’ll see about that.
And then there’s this wild story about their guard, Connor Colby, supposedly showing “speed” on a George Kittle long touchdown. Colby himself downplayed it, saying he was “just trying to make a block” and knew he’d get a penalty if he actually tried to gain on his teammate. Even their center, Jake Brendel, had to qualify it: “He might not look it with his hair and his style, but… he can run.” Another unnamed voice, Williams, flat out said, “The mullet makes it worse.” Seriously? This is what they’re clinging to? A lineman’s mullet-fueled sprint where he couldn’t even keep up with Kittle? We’re talking about taking down Sam Darnold. They’re gonna need a lot more than a “sneaky athletic” guard to get through our D.
This early season matchup against a division rival is huge for setting the tone. Our defense, despite a couple of early season kinks, is still super disruptive, and our safeties are still owning the deep ball. We’ll be ready for them.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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