Field Gulls
The wait is over, the regular season is back!
Thank you very much, preseason! You made us happy by bringing the Seahawks back to the field. However, now it’s time to truly rejoice or be angry (that’s what the excitement of cheering for a team is all about).
The Seahawks’ 2025 debut with Sam Darnold will be at Lumen Field with a division race already underway. The San Francisco 49ers, an opponent Geno Smith had beaten only once in three years, are, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook line, slight favorites against the Seahawks by 2.5 points. Incredibly, that line increased by a point from the opening odds after the schedule was released. The 49ers are -136 in a straight-up pick, while Seattle is +116.
The over/under line is 43.5 points. So, it looks like we’ll see a decent amount of points from the offense. Will the defenses decide the game?
The Seahawks’ offense has undergone changes to its offensive line, which has left us hopeful with the arrival of Grey Zabel, the return of a healthy Abe Lucas, and the faith that a more experienced staff with Klint Kubiak and John Benton can bring a distinctive running game and, consequently, play action to help Sam Darnold in his reads. This is in addition to a team that, so far, has had no major injury losses throughout training camp and preseason.
The 49ers have significant offensive absences like Brandon Aiyuk and Demarcus Robinson (suspended). They also have Jauan Jennings in a bit of a contract dispute. But in the running game, one of the most important aspects of the 49ers’ offense, they have Christian McCaffrey and a good partner to share the backfield with in Brian Robinson, who arrived in a trade at the end of the preseason. George Kittle is healthy and should help with the intermediate zone passing game and the running game.
Keep an eye on what Mike Macdonald’s defense, with another year of implementing his scheme, can do with an offense that has strength in the running game, which has always been a focus of the former Ravens’ DC defense.
