49ers vs. Seahawks: 5 Week 17 matchups to watch for San Francisco

No. 2: Raheem Mostert vs. Seahawks Run Defense

The 49ers may not be dominating opponents on the ground like they were earlier this season, but head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense is still managing an impressive 4.6 yards per rush attempt on the year, which is good enough for ninth best.

Likewise, no single running back has emerged as Shanahan’s bell cow, and he’s probably intending to keep it that way. Yet the hot hand as of late has been running back Raheem Mostert, who has been receiving the lion’s share of carries after breaking out in Week 13 against the Ravens.

Mostert currently leads all San Francisco ball carriers with 715 rush yards and six touchdowns, and there’s no reason to assume Shanahan abandons the plan to make Mostert a key part of his team’s offensive plans this Sunday.

Defensively, the Seahawks will again likely try to keep Mostert out of the picture, often loading the box with seven or eight defenders to force quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to pass. This previous attempt back in Week 10 held the Niners to an average of just 3.2 yards per carry, although Mostert managed 4.67 yards on six carries during that particular bout.

Entering the contest, the Seahawks are giving up an average of 4.8 yards per rush, which ranks fifth worst among defenses.

Expect Shanahan to play Mostert’s card frequently on Sunday.