49ers vs. Seahawks: 5 San Francisco players to watch in Week 13
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Left Tackle Joe Staley
Veteran left tackle Joe Staley certainly doesn’t like the Seahawks, so why would anything change in Week 13?
That said, Staley didn’t exactly enjoy his best game during the 49ers’ 27-9 road loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week ago, being regularly overworked by Bucs EDGE Jason Pierre-Paul to the tune of a sack and four pressures allowed.
This time, Staley will have to match up against the Seahawks’ best pass-rusher, EDGE Frank Clark, who leads Seattle’s defense with 10 sacks on the year.
Clark plays the LEO weak-side edge rusher, meaning he’ll primarily line up opposite Staley in an effort to get to San Francisco’s quarterback, Nick Mullens. Mullens didn’t look comfortable at all in Tampa Bay, although the Buccaneers regularly blitzed him during the game. Like the Niners, the Seahawks don’t quite blitz all too much, meaning the 49ers’ pass protection will mostly have to deal with four-man rushes.
If he can hold his own against Clark, Mullens should have a bit easier of a time under center.