Seahawks vs. 49ers: 5 matchups to watch for San Francisco in Week 15
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Running Back Matt Breida vs. Linebacker Bobby Wagner
If the Seahawks running game is tremendous, their run defense leaves a lot to be desired.
San Francisco 49ers
So far, Seattle is allowing 5.0 yards per carry on the season, which ranks 29th in the league. Teams have been able to pick up big gains on the ground against the Hawks defense this season, although the 49ers weren’t exactly able to capitalize on this back in Week 13. Part of the reason was running back Matt Breida reaggravating his ankle injury, which limited him to just five rushing attempts and forced rookie Jeff Wilson into the game.
Overall, the Niners averaged just 2.9 yards per carry in the contest.
Breida is still questionable for Week 15, although he managed to appear in Wednesday’s practice, albeit in a limited basis, after missing the Denver contest.
One of San Francisco’s prime obstacles for the ground game is Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, of course, who was a massive force two weeks ago. He literally appeared in every defensive category that game, which is almost unheard of, registering 12 tackles, two passes defended, a sack, a forced fumble with a recovery and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Talk about an All-Pro-caliber game.
Needless to say, the Niners offense better have a game plan to try to negate Wagner’s presence.