49ers’ 5 keys to beating Seahawks for NFC’s top seed

SANTA CLARA — Tatum Bethune can’t recall exactly what he was doing on Dec. 29, 2019, other than just having finished his freshman season as an 18-year-old linebacker at the University of Central Florida.

He’s well-versed, however, on what went down across the country that night in Seattle.

“I saw it 100 times on film already,” Bethune said this week of linebacker Dre Greenlaw’s goal-line tackle that preserved the 49ers’ 26-21 victory over the Seahawks and clinched the NFC playoffs’ No. 1 seed.

“They always bring that up and show us,” Bethune said. “He had a perfect coverage drop, saw it coming and made a huge play. It’s teach-tape, honestly. That’s why we see it all the time in the meeting room.”

Another milestone moment is afoot in the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry, again with the No. 1 seed on the line Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers (12-4) and the Seahawks (13-3) each enter on a six-game win streak. Only one will emerge with the NFC West title and the top-seed’s bye in next weekend’s wild-card round.

Should the 49ers lose, they’ll be either the Nos. 5 or 6 seed, depending on how the Los Angeles Rams (11-5) fare against the Arizona Cardinals (3-13). The 49ers would stay in the No. 5 slot if both they and the Rams lose.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” said Bethune, who replaced the injured Fred Warner in Week 6. “Nobody thought we’d be here. I remember around the trade deadline, we didn’t do anything, everybody thought the season was over, but everybody in this locker room we knew what we could do and we’re doing it.”

Here are five ways to do it like 2019 and top Seattle:

1. WIN IN THE TRENCHES

Left tackle Trent Williams is questionable with a hamstring strain, which could thrust Austen Pleasants into his starting debut. Pleasants impressed, other that a sack and third-down pressure, once Williams exited after the first snap of Sunday’s 42-38 win over Chicago.

However, the Seahawks have a much more ferocious defensive front than the Bears.

“Their whole D-line is violent,” tight end George Kittle said. “Whether it’s run or pass, you see offensive linemen on the ground being thrown around the entire time. Not every D-line is like that.”

Kittle, after missing last game with an ankle injury, should help bracket the line and block when needed.

Anchoring Seattle’s line are two Pro Bowlers: Leonard Williams and Demarcus Lawrence, who’ve combined for 13 sacks, 41 quarterback hits and 20 tackles for loss.

2. MONITOR McCAFFREY

Christian McCaffrey is having an MVP-caliber season, but he’s also having back issues. That was evident before Sunday’s final touchdown drive, and he was kept out of Tuesday’s practice. He looked fine in the ensuing two walk-through practices, so don’t expect much from Brian Robinson and rookie Jordan James unless urgently required.

As hot as Purdy is, McCaffrey remains the offense’s catalyst and his ability to move the ball as both a rusher and receiver is critical for extending drives. The 49ers opened in Seattle with a 14-play, 95-yard touchdown drive to ignite a win that was otherwise marred by a Kittle hamstring injury and Jake Moody’s two missed field goals in his final appearance.

Seattle has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in a franchise-record 25 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak. Only two rushing touchdowns have breached the Seahawks defense the past five games.

McCaffrey is coming off back-to-back 100-yard games, and with 1,179 rushing yards already, he is 110 receiving yards shy of 1,000.

3. BLANKET JSN

Jaxon Smith-Njigba torched the 49ers’ for 124 yards on nine catches in the opener, and he’s now the NFL’s receiving yards leader at 1,709 yards, with 113 receptions on 155 targets.

“I know Njigba is probably the star of it all, but they’re all touching it and they’re all effective, so they’re much improved from Week 1,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said.

Don’t expect No. 1 cornerback Deommodore Lenoir to travel wherever Smith-Njigba roams, because that could compromise other defensive assignments on a unit that certainly floundered last Sunday against the Bears’ Caleb Williams (330 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, no sacks).

Seahawks tight end A.J. Barner has a touchdown in each of the past two games and has 50 catches for 505 yards this season. Former Rams stalwart Cooper Kupp also has over 500 yards but just two touchdowns on 45 catches.

Such production takes pressure off running backs Kenneth Walker III (930 yards, five touchdowns) and Zach Charbonnet (656 yards, 11 touchdowns).

4. PRESSURE DARNOLD

The 49ers escaped Seattle with a Week 1 win only after Nick Bosa managed a strip-sack and fumble recovery from the 49ers’ 9-yard line in the final minute. Bosa exited two weeks later with a season-ending knee injury, and, essentially, the 49ers’ pass rush has been bone dry with no sacks in four of their past nine games.

Darnold, however, could still be had, and he’s lost six fumbles this season. A well-liked backup on the 2023 49ers, Darnold will be looking to finish stronger than he did last season in Minnesota, when he completed just 18-of-41 passes for 166 yards in a 31-9 loss at Detroit before committing two turnovers in their wild-card playoff loss at the Rams.

Seahawks’ left tackle Charles Cross is out with a hamstring injury, and Josh Jones (ankle, knee) is questionable after two straight starts in place of Cross.

Bryce Huff has gone seven straight games without a sack, he has just one quarterback hit in the past three games, and he let Williams step free of a potential last-snap sack Sunday.

5. SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS

So often in this rivalry, a field goal or a return proves critical. The 49ers overcame Moody’s two missed field goals last matchup, and that triggered Eddy Piñeiro’s arrival as a kicking savior.

While Piñeiro is 27-of-28 on field-goal attempts, his kickoffs also will be key, especially as Seahawks’ return specialist Rashid Shaeed is cleared from last game’s concussion. Shaheed’s punt-return touchdown sparked their overtime win over the Rams on Dec. 18, and he also has a 100-yard kick return score this season.

Seattle’s special teams unit ranks first in ESPN’s analytics; the 49ers’ ranks seventh. Seahawks kicker Jason Myers has made all 18 of his field-goal attempts the past six games, and he’s converted all 47 point-after tries this season.