SF 49ers vs. Seahawks: 5 reasons why Niners pull off upset
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers offensive line has improved enough as of late
Seattle’s defensive line won’t benefit from the recent trade acquisition of former Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who won’t be available until after Week 8.
So the problems the Seahawks D-line has dealt with this season aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, and not this Sunday.
The SF 49ers offensive line, meanwhile, was a problem for much of the season. Over the first five weeks, this unit was regularly hovering around the last three spots in Football Outsiders’ rankings, although this group has now improved to 14th and 20th in run blocking and pass protection, respectively.
Pro Football Focus has also shown a notable improvement here, too:
Over the first five weeks of 2020, Pro Football Focus had the #49ers offensive line ranked 24th in pass-blocking efficiency (83.8).
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) October 26, 2020
Over the last two weeks, the Niners O-line ranks third (94.3).
It takes time for O-lines to jell, and no preseason/OTAs could have had an impact.
While the Seahawks defense, in general, has had difficulty defending the pass and is allowing a solid 4.1 yards per rush on the ground, there’s been a significant improvement from the Niners O-line to suggest it won’t be a liability on Sunday.
That could prove to be vital difference-maker and X-factor for Kyle Shanahan and Co.