The 49ers are coming off of a 17-16 victory against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago. The Seahawks are coming off of a 39-32 defeat against the Arizona Cardinals.
22 months later, 49ers LB NaVorro Bowman is returning to the scene of his devastating injury. During the NFC Championship in January of 2014, Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse collided with Bowman's extended leg – tearing his ACL and MCL. Laying on the turf, Bowman thought that his career might be over.
"I'll never forget the exact spot that it happened," Bowman said on Wednesday. "I've been thinking about that for the past couple weeks. It will be very humbling for me just to approach it again and be able to just play on that field again and have a good game."
49ers inactives: Carradine, Reaser, Hyde, Silberman, Jerome Simpson, DeAndrew White and Brandon Thoms
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) November 22, 2015
Bowman's playmaking ability and game speed has improved each week of the 2015 season. "I don't think I'm 100 percent yet, but I do feel great. I feel the knee progressing every single week," says Bowman.
Even CB Richard Sherman – a hated 49ers rival – has been impressed by Bowman's comeback. "I'm so impressed by the way he's come back and how well he's played, especially as of late," Sherman said. "In the Falcons game, he seemed like he was everywhere. And it's just a testament to his hard and work and dedication to his craft and what he does, to see him get back to form like he has."
The last time these two teams met, the 49ers were coming off of a short week and had just three days of rest before their clash with Seattle at Levi's Stadium. This time, the 49ers are coming off of their bye week. two weeks of rest, and a different quarterback at the helm, and are headed into their final division road game of the season. QB Colin Kaepernick was benched and Blaine Gabbert was named the starter prior to the 49ers' victory over the Falcons and he will start again against the Seahawks.
Against the Falcons, Gabbert connected with TE Garrett Celek for a pair of touchdowns on the day and marked the first multi-touchdown game of Celek's career. WR Quinton Patton added a career high 70 receiving yards on three receptions. The offense also rushed for 133 yards while RB Shaun Draughn ran for a career high 58 yards in his 49ers debut. Draughn averaged 3.6 yards after contact. While one game is a small sample size, that ranks second among running backs with at least ten carries this season.
In the last meeting between these two teams, RT Erik Pears had his worst game of the season, finishing with a negative-6.0 rating from Pro Football Focus.
| Top PFF 49ers – W9 | Top PFF Seakawks – W10 |
| DE Arik Armstead (+2.0) | DE Cliff Avril (+6.0) |
| QB Blaine Gabbert (+2.0) | DE Michael Bennett (+5.7) |
| CB Marcus Cromartie (+1.8) | ILB Bobby Wagner (+3.1) |
| LB Michael Wilhoite (+1.7) | WR Doug Baldwin (+2.5) |
| LG Alex Boone (+1.7) | RB Marshawn Lynch (+2.5) |
Defensively, the 49ers held the Falcons to just 17 yards rushing on 14 carries, which marked the fourth fewest rushing yards allowed by the team since 2001. Going into the game, Falcons RB Devonta Freeman led the NFL with 709 rushing yards on the season and finished with only 12 on the day. The defense brought down Falcons QB Matt Ryan twice as LBs NaVorro Bowman and Aaron Lynch each registered a sack. Rookie DE Arik Armstead recorded his third straight game with a +1.0 of higher Pro Football Focus rating. He had five combined pressures in 22 snaps.
#Seahawks Inactives: RB LYNCH, WR Richardson, CB Smith, LB Irvin, C Nowak, OL Sokoli, DT Francis.
— Liz Mathews 710 ESPN (@Liz_Mathews) November 22, 2015
In their last matchup against Seattle, CBs Kenneth Acker and Tramaine Brock each intercepted Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. The pair have combined for six total INTs on the season, which ties for fifth in the NFL among defensive backs. Bowman ranks first in the NFC with 88 tackles on the season while LB Michael Wilhoite ranks third with 72.
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch has had a lot of success against the 49ers. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in 7 of 13 career games against the 49ers (54 percent). Against the rest of the NFL? 30 in 124 (24 percent).
Kickoff: Sunday, November 22 at 1:25 PM PT
Bay Area Radio: KGO 810 & The Bone 107.7 (Other radio affiliates)
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860
All-Time Matchup: Seahawks lead series 19-15
Last Meeting: 10/22/15, Seahawks win 20-3, at SF
Current Streak: Lost 4
Betting: The Seahawks are 13 point favorites
49ers Fan Picks: Within our Pick 'em Contest, 74% believe the Seahawks will win
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Injury Report
| Team | Pos | Player | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | RB | Carlos Hyde | Foot | Out |
| 49ers | WR | Anquan Boldin | Hamstring | Questionable |
| 49ers | CB | Kenneth Acker | Concussion, chest | Probable |
| 49ers | LB | NaVorro Bowman | Shoulder | Probable |
| 49ers | CB | Tramaine Brock | Shin | Probable |
| 49ers | LB | Ahmad Brooks | Shoulder | Probable |
| 49ers | QB | Colin Kaepernick | Left shoulder | IR |
| 49ers | CB | Keith Reaser | Ankle | Probable |
| 49ers | S | Eric Reid | Chest | Probable |
| Seahawks | LB | Bruce Irvin | Knee | Out |
| Seahawks | WR | Paul Richardson | Hamstring | Out |
| Seahawks | RB | Marshawn Lynch | Abdomen | Questionable |
| Seahawks | DE | Cliff Avril | Ankle | Probable |
| Seahawks | WR | Doug Baldwin | Toe | Probable |
| Seahawks | DE | Michael Bennett | Not injury related | Probable |
| Seahawks | DE | Demarcus Dobbs | Shoulder | Probable |
| Seahawks | T | Russell Okung | Toe, ankle | Probable |
| Seahawks | CB | Cary Williams | Hip | Probable |
| Seahawks | TE | Luke Willson | Toe | Probable |
| Seahawks | LB | K.J. Wright | Knee | Probable |
Game Averages (Rank)
| 49ers | Seahawks | |
|---|---|---|
|
14.0 (32nd)
|
Offense Pts
|
22.1 (20th)
|
|
286.2 (32nd)
|
Offense Yds
|
352.0 (18th)
|
|
181.6 (30th)
|
Offense Pass
|
215.2 (27th)
|
|
104.7 (17th)
|
Offense Rush
|
136.8 (4th)
|
|
24.8 (20th)
|
Defense Pts Allowed
|
19.9 (7th)
|
|
392.4 (27th)
|
Defense Yds Allowed
|
303.3 (2nd)
|
|
280.6 (29th)
|
Defense Pass Allowed
|
202.8 (2nd)
|
|
111.9 (21st)
|
Defense Rush Allowed
|
100.6 (11th)
|
Game Articles
Articles to be added as they become available.
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