Russell Wilson is 49ers public enemy No. 1, has been for a while

With the 49ers hosting the Seahawks for the first time in 2021, it’s hard to think anyone else but Russell Wilson is the player Niners fans love to hate.

Each decade, there’s a top villain San Francisco 49ers fans simply love to hate.

In the 1990s, two names should probably come to mind: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who both delivered no shortage of cocky heartache to Niners fans over that 10-year span.

During the 2010s, former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman held that distinctive honor, particularly after his actions in the 2014 NFC Championship game. But after Sherman switched over from the dark side to the ranks of the red and gold in 2018, that “love to hate” mentality dissipated awfully quickly.

Sherman switching sides left a void that was soon filled, though. And San Francisco now gets to face its arch-villain in Week 4 when the Seahawks again pay a visit to the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

Russell Wilson has been the player 49ers fans love to hate ever since Richard Sherman left the Seahawks

Sherman’s postgame rant after the 2014 NFC Championship was an embarrassment to Niners fans everywhere. But don’t overlook quarterback Russell Wilson, who has arguably delivered even more heartache to San Francisco over his lengthy career than Sherman ever did.

In addition to that gut-wrenching playoff loss back in January of 2014, there’s been no shortage of “here we go again” moments from Wilson. Whether it’s another one of those improbable fourth-quarter comebacks or an impossible deep toss for a touchdown after being chased all over the pocket, Wilson has delivered many a dagger into the 49ers’ collective side.

And the stats back it up, too.

To date, Wilson is 14-4 in 18 regular-season games, and there’s the one playoff win back in 2014, too. During those regular-season bouts, Wilson has a 63.3 completion percentage with 32 touchdowns — the most against any team he’s faced — and a career passer rating of 99.4.

While Niners fans were more than pissed off at Sherman for eating Turkey on San Francisco’s logo after the Thanksgiving 2014 loss at Levi’s Stadium, don’t forget how Wilson was right alongside doing the exact same.

49ers have a chance to quiet Russell Wilson in Week 4

Soon to be 33 years old, Wilson’s aura might eventually begin to quiet down in the coming years. And there’s no shortage of chatter about a possible rift between him and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.

Sure, 49ers fans probably look now at Seattle as an overall public enemy No. 1, the chief rival replacing those Cowboys or Packers as the team the Niners always have to beat no matter what. Sort of the proverbial saying, “my two favorite teams are San Francisco and whoever is playing the Seahawks” kind of argument.

Read More: 49ers vs. Seahawks: Week 4 betting odds and prediction

The 49ers are right in the middle of the pack, defensively, through three weeks and rank 16th in terms of points allowed (74) and yards given up (1,111), although there have been some wild inconsistencies during that three-game stretch.

Wilson and the Seahawks, however, are averaging 9 yards per pass attempt, third best in the league, with a scoring offense that ranks 13th best overall.

If the Niners want to get the latest in what’s been a small number of laughs in at Wilson over his career, they’ll have to clamp down in every possible way on Sunday.