The San Francisco 49ers are nervously trying to hang on to the NFC’s No. 2 seed and a coveted first-round bye.
If the first half of Saturday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks is any indication, you could hardly tell.
The 49ers played uninspired football in the first half and could seemingly be doomed to the wild-card round in defeat if the New Orleans Saints can leapfrog the 49ers.
Here are four ways they can get back on track in Seattle in the second half.
Bottle Up Marshawn Lynch
Lynch has experienced a career renaissance in Seattle and is considered by most a top-tier running back.
That said, the 49ers have already shut down the likes of Ray Rice and LeSean McCoy with little difficulty. Patrick Willis may be out, but this unit still has the chops to stop the run game.
Seattle has controlled the clock with its efficient run game. Tavaris Jackson is hardly a threat to beat the 49ers deep—stop Lynch and you stop Seattle.
Want the Damn Ball? Catch the Damn Ball.
Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree have never been shy about their desire to make the big play.
Both of the oft-spectacular, oft-mercurial playmakers had chances in the first quarter and made crucial mistakes.
On consecutive plays, Alex Smith targeted Davis and Crabtree for what had the potential to be big plays. Davis was by himself and bobbled the ball before getting both feet inbounds.
Crabtree’s catch would have been spectacular had he come down with it. Still, he had the opportunity to make a leaping grab that would have given San Francisco a first down, but couldn’t hold on to the ball as he crashed down to the turf.
As two of the 49ers’ top big-play threats, both will have to make up for their first-half blunders in order for San Francisco’s offense to open up.
That said…
Go With What Got You Here: Run, Run, Run. Oh, and Run.
Both Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter found a bit of running room in the first half.
But the Seahawks were able to out-49er the 49ers and controlled possession with a power running game behind Marshawn Lynch (83 yards on 14 carries).
Gore has historically had great success against the Seahawks: let the man go to work.
Take the Fans Out of the Game
Seattle is no easy place to play. In a must-win situation for Seattle, the atmosphere is rampant in the Pacific Northwest.
The 49ers are the better overall team here. No secret there.
But the Seahawks are hot and riding the wave of emotion and momentum. A slow, monotonous, grind-them-away run game behind Frank Gore will bore the fans to death. A big play on either side of the ball—which has eluded the 49ers thus far—also has the potential to suck the life out of the stadium.
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