If the Seattle Seahawks lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, they will also surrender their first place hold on the NFC West. It would be their third straight loss after a hot 3-0 start.

San Francisco (2-3), similar to Seattle, is coming off a disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. The 49ers blew a 23-10 halftime lead and lost 24-23. The Seahawks lost to the New York Giants, 29-20, after being favored by seven points.

Seattle is playing its third game in 11 days — worsening their injury situation that has already led to cornerback Riq Woolen, outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and defensive tackle Byron Murphy being ruled out. Safety Julian Love and outside linebackers Derick Hall and Boye Mafe are all questionable.

For the 49ers, starting defensive tackle Jordan Elliott and safety Talanoa Hufanga have both been ruled out. Cornerback Charvarius Ward is questionable, and some other non-starters won’t be playing.

Can Seattle snap a two-game skid this season and a five-game losing streak to the 49ers? Our writing staff has a few predictions and players to watch in the Seahawks’ Week 6 Thursday Night Football game against the 49ers.

Based on how poorly the Seahawks played in Sunday’s loss to the Giants and the fact they haven’t beaten the 49ers since 2021, this would seem like a bad time for Mike Macdonald’s team to run into their NFC West rivals. But in a weird way, both teams seem to be in a similar rut heading into this first of two divisional matchups, as they have each dealt with injuries to key players and had issues with turnovers that have led to multiple defeats, making this a tougher game to project for two teams that are not playing well as of late.

After allowing New York to rack up 175 rushing yards last weekend, Seattle’s suddenly porous run defense coupled with poor execution defending play action passes remain the greatest concerns heading into this contest. Macdonald called out his linebackers, safeties, and cornerbacks after the game by saying the second level hasn’t been on point with run fits, and the onus will fall on those groups to do a much better job executing their assignments and finishing tackles or Jordan Mason could run wild behind a physical offensive line, setting Brock Purdy up for success off play passes.

On the flip side, while they have forced seven turnovers in five games, the 49ers haven’t been as dominant on defense as previous seasons, currently ranking 18th in passing touchdowns allowed and 24th in yards per carry in the run game. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will have to prove he can trust his run game more after only handing the ball off to Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet seven combined times last Sunday to help slow down Nick Bosa and an aggressive pass rush as a means to help protect Geno Smith and give him time to hit his standout receivers downfield.

Still licking their wounds from Sunday, the Seahawks will be eager to bounce back at Lumen Field and home field advantage typically favors the home team even more than usual on Thursday night games. If they can keep Smith upright while employing a more balanced offensive approach and find a way to shore up their leaky run defense in quick order, it’s possible they can snap their losing streak in the rivalry and improve to 4-2. But that’s asking a lot on a short week and with Byron Murphy and Uchenna Nwosu still out on defense, trying to slow down Mason and the 49ers’ slew of star skill players will be too much to overcome in a tight prime time contest.

Corbin’s Pick to Click: Leonard Williams

Always seeming to elevate his game against the 49ers, Williams has an extensive history of performing well against Kyle Shanahan offenses, including producing four pressures and a sack with the Giants in Santa Clara last season before being traded to the Seahawks. In his two other games against them after the trade, he racked up a combined 11 pressures, five quarterback hits, and a sack, standing out as a bright spot in a pair of defeats. With a few extra days for his rib injury to continue improving, he will have a chance to once again do significant damage against an interior line featuring guards Aaron Banks and Dominick Puni, who have allowed 20 combined pressures through five games. Look for the veteran to collapse the pocket frequently on Purdy and also be disruptive against the run.

Corbin’s Prediction: 49ers 30, Seahawks 24

The injuries for both teams in this game make it far more difficult to predict. If each team was at full strength, it would be much easier to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of each group. What we do know is that both teams fell below expectations in their last games — adding additional incentive to an already-heated rivalry game with a short week of preparation.

Seattle’s biggest pitfall in the last two weeks has been untimely turnovers, poor offensive game planning and porous defense that has resulted from injuries and poor execution. This isn’t the same defense we saw in Week 1 versus the Denver Broncos that was rallying to the football and punishing offenses. Injuries are affecting that, but head coach Mike Macdonald has admitted the unit’s communication has taken a step back.

The 49ers are one of the best rushing teams in the league, with running back Jordan Mason leading the NFL in rush attempts (105) while being second in the league in rush yards (536). Like Geno Smith, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is top-5 in passing yards and is averaging a league-high 8.8 yards per attempt. With little preparation and more starters being held out, it’s hard to see all of Seattle’s defensive deficiencies being solved in three days of practice. This may end up as another shootout, similar to the Seahawks’ Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions.

If the offense can become more balanced, the Seahawks have a shot to win purely in scoring production. Running back Kenneth Walker III had three touchdowns versus the Lions. He must be fed the ball to take some pressure off of Smith. – Connor Benintendi

Connor’s Pick to Click: RB Kenneth Walker III

This might be low-hanging fruit based on the previous assessment, but Walker is going to get touches in this game. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb asserted as much, and it’s clear the coaching staff realizes his value in their game plans moving forward. He’s a weapon, and there’s no sense in having him block or be a decoy constantly.

Connor’s Score Prediction: 49ers 31, Seahawks 26