Can the 49ers Win In Seattle?

The 49ers travel to Seattle on Sunday night for their biggest game of the year.  Win and they clinch the NFC West division title and keep pace for the second seed in the playoffs.  With the bumps and bruises they has sustained over the last few weeks they could use an extra week off to heal up for the playoff grind.

The question is, Can the 49ers win in Seattle where the Seahawks have not lost since last December?  Sure they can if they follow these 4 steps.

1)  Be Patient

Seattle does a very good job of taking away the explosive play.  The 49ers offense needs to stay patient and take what they are giving them, much like they did during their week 7 victory.  Hit the underneath routes, get good yards after catch, and move the sticks.

2)  Stick to the run

The 49ers have proven success running the ball on Seattle, and they need to stick with it this weekend.  Getting the running game going helps open up the 49ers passing game and will help to neutralize the Seattle pass rush and minimize the effect of the crowd noise.

3)  Contain Russell Wilson

Wilson has gone 44-73 for 646 yards with 4 touchdowns and only 1 interception in his last 3 games.  Add in the threat that he presents on the ground for another 21 rushes, 175 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He had his worst game of the season in the first meeting between these two teams, and the 49ers need to make him beat them from the pocket.

4)  Contain Marshawn Lynch

With the emergence of Wilson, Lynch has seen a reduction in his number of carries but not his production.  Over the last 3 games Lynch has 328 yards on only 40 carries, an average of 8.2 yards per carry.  He has also added 5 touchdown's during that span.

5)  Eliminate turnovers

You don't score 50+ points in back to back weeks without the help of turnovers.  The Seahawks have been getting them in bunches the last couple weeks.  For the 49ers to win, they need to be clean in this phase.