Well, it's all come down to this.
After a wild back-and-forth affair with the Chicago Bears this past Sunday that saw the San Francisco 49ers maintain control of their own destiny with a 42-38 victory, Kyle Shanahan & Co. are now set for a winner-take-all Week 18 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks this Saturday night that will determine both the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference.
From an offensive standpoint, San Francisco is in great shape heading into this matchup. In the three weeks since their bye, the Niners have averaged a whopping 42.3 points and 455.3 total yards per game.
Defensively, however, things haven't gone quite as smoothly, as San Francisco has surrendered 29.7 points and 352.7 total yards in those same three games. And that's not what you want heading into a matchup with a Seattle offense that ranks eighth in the NFL in total yards (350.8) and second in scoring (29.4).
And the Seahawks certainly don't stick to just one method of torching opposing defenses, as the duo of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet can bust through defensive lines on the ground, while Sam Darnold and his receiving corps, which obviously includes league-leading wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, can light up secondaries through the air.
The 49ers certainly won't be able to stop the Seahawks from moving the ball, but just slowing them down even a touch to give Brock Purdy and the offense more time on the field will obviously be beneficial. And the way we see it, two players in particular need to step up and be at their best to make that happen, those being safeties Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha.
Ji'Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha may be the key to beating the Seahawks
On the running side of things, both Walker and Charbonnet have the ability to break out for long runs, so Brown and Mustapha may have to help out the Niners' linebackers a bit more than they'd like in that regard.
Both have been fairly solid against the run this season, and Brown actually ranks 24th among 100 eligible safeties with a 76.2 PFF run-defense grade.
But where the Niners will need them the most this Saturday will be against the pass. Bears quarterback Caleb Williams exposed San Francisco's secondary something fierce this past weekend with a season-high 330 yards, and Sam Darnold could easily do the same, especially if rookie corner Upton Stout fails to clear concussion protocol.
Mustapha was actually one of the only 49ers' DBs to play even remotely well against Chicago, allowing just two receptions for 17 yards and only a 61.5 passer rating on passes thrown in his direction. So, a repeat performance would certainly bode well.
Brown, on the other hand, got lit up, allowing Williams to earn a 141.4 rating after surrendering four receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green, and Stout (if he's available) are going to have their hands full with Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and surging second-year tight end AJ Barner, so they're going to need some help for the 49ers to stay competitive in this contest.
Kickoff for this highly anticipated matchup between the Niners and Seahawks from Levi's Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. Eastern/5:00 p.m. Pacific.