It's a bit of an ironic schedule quirk—the last two teams the San Francisco 49ers faced (and beat), the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, now play each other in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football.
Almost feels like a losers bracket, doesn't it?
Of course, the Niners would love nothing more than to see a Denver victory in prime time here, just as they enjoyed it when the Broncos took down another NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams, in Week 3.
Beyond the divisional standings, however, the course of Thursday night's primetime bout between the Hawks and Broncos may actually say more about San Francisco's prior back-to-back victories over those two squads, particularly how it relates to the 49ers being a consensus No. 1 team across the rest of the league.
Let's examine what and how.
49ers can learn a lot about themselves from Seahawks-Broncos game
Observation No. 1: Is 49ers run defense that good?
In Week 4, the Niners held Denver to 82 rush yards and a lowly 3.7 yards per carry. A week later, Seattle rushed for 89 yards, averaging 3.4 yards per attempt.
Those are both excellent lines from San Francisco's perspective. But is that more of a reflection of coordinator Raheem Morris' defense, or is it a case where both the Broncos and Seahawks' respective ground attacks are simply not all that good?
It's painfully obvious the Hawks miss the reigning Super Bowl MVP, now-Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, and Emanuel Wilson is a turnover liability.
If either Denver or Seattle's ground games produces effectively Thursday night, it'd cast the 49ers' own run defense in a better light.
Observation No. 2: What about Broncos' banged-up secondary?
One of the counterpoints against quarterback Brock Purdy's second-half magic against the Broncos was how Denver lost its two starting cornerbacks to injury, especially Patrick Surtain II.
Surtain will be out for Thursday night, joined by safety Talanoa Hufanga, meaning Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold should have ample opportunities to target his best weapon, wide receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba.
Should Denver contain the All-Pro receiver and limit Darnold in a way it couldn't with Purdy, the Niners' hurler's case for an MVP award should be that much stronger.
Observation No. 3: Bo Nix bounceback may help 49ers (but hurt Brock Purdy)
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix received plenty of criticism for how he fared in Week 4 against San Francisco, going 25-of-42 for just 214 yards and relying heavily on quick pass attempts while appearing clunky and disjointed in the process.
Should Nix pick apart the Hawks defense, however, the chances of a Denver victory on Thursday night increase significantly. The 49ers wouldn't mind that whatsoever.
On the flip side, if this scenario plays out, Nix's would-be success would paint Purdy's efforts on the road against Seattle in a less-stellar light—perhaps Purdy's Week 5 performance wasn't quite as special if someone like Nix can replicate something similar.
Observation No. 4: Turning things (like the ball) over
A key reason why the Niners beat the Seahawks was due to the turnover battle: a 4-to-3 differential in favor of San Francisco.
Darnold already has a whopping 5.1 interception percentage on the year (the highest of his career to date), and combined with the Hawks' current fumbling issues, the Broncos will certainly look to improve upon their seven defensive takeaways entering Thursday night.
The 49ers, too, have seven turnovers entering Week 6, so they'll be paying attention to Denver's attempts to make Seattle suffer in the same department. That might be an indicator of whether or not the Niners are turning into a ballhawking defense. And it might suggest the kind of playmaking resiliency San Francisco will need when it comes to winning close games.
Denver, meanwhile, turned the ball over just once back in Week 4, so the Week 6 turnover differential between the Broncos and Seahawks should help shed some light on the 49ers' own ability to generate takeaways.
Whatever the result, though, the Niners may just be happy to see Denver win again, doing them a big NFC West favor.
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