In the five previous times Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers have lost two straight games since he took over in 2011, they’ve bounced back with victories.
To do that Sunday in Seattle – where the Seahawks are 10-point favorites – is perhaps one of the biggest obstacles the Niners have faced in his tenure.
The 9-4 Seahawks are on a roll and have a huge advantage with this game at CenturyLink Field. The 7-6 49ers need to win this game Sunday afternoon (1:25 p.m. kickoff) and then their final two vs. the Chargers and Cardinals to have any hope of slipping into a wild-card spot.
To win in Seattle, however, will mean the 49ers offense needs to come alive.
In the first meeting of these teams, a 19-3 Seattle victory, the 49ers defense essentially did its part, giving up just one touchdown.
But the 49ers offense was horrible, passing for just 121 yards and rushing for only 64.
It’s been a second-half collapse for this offense.
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Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Greg Roman, the offensive coaching staff and quarterback Colin Kaepernick have to come up with some new way of operating Sunday against the Seahawks, because the old way isn’t working. USA Today’s Lindsay H. Jones wrote this week that, “The 49ers offense hasn’t just grown stagnant, but it has regressed.”
She cited the career highs for Kaepernick in interceptions (10) and sacks (43) as well as career lows in yards per pass attempt (7.1) and yards per rush (4.7).
The 49ers no longer are setting up designed running plays for Kaepernick. Tight end Vernon Davis – one of the team’s best weapons -- isn’t being utilized much at all. The offensive line hasn’t consistently opened holes for running backs Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde. And in games against the Seahawks, it appears Seattle has been prepared for almost every play the 49ers have thrown at them.
The 49ers have fallen so fast this season that some of the steam seems to have leaked from what was perhaps the best rivalry in the NFL over the past three seasons. A headline in the Seattle Times this week put it this way: “Seahawks vs. 49ers: A dimming rivalry?”
Sunday’s outcome will depend on the 49ers offense. The defense has shown it can match up with Seattle, for the most part. But for San Francisco to win, it’s going to have to score and put together long drives.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times this week dissected the 49ers’ offensive woes and called the offensive scheme “vanilla.”
“Things haven’t been right for us,” Gore told reporters this week. “It’s just been a different year for us.”
To keep alive any hopes for the postseason, that must change Sunday.
