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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
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.
SEATTLE — From my first visit as an adult, I was absolutely smitten with this city with snow-capped mountains and glistening bodies of water visible on all sides.
The decision to move here when my wife was accepted to Seattle University was probably one of the easiest and most fortuitous choices I’ve ever made. I loved the city’s topography, how people went outside no matter the weather and even the weather itself. I would often feel as if I was living someplace I would have chosen to vacation.
But it was soccer that made me feel like part of the city myself, like I had found my new home. I’ve often talked about how watching the Sounders win their first U.S. Open Cup at the George & Dragon was my first real introduction to the team. A few months later, I started working at Sounder at Heart. That summer, I experienced my first World Cup in Seattle. We showed up to a bar at 6 AM to get a spot for the USA-England match, and barely even got in. Bars all over town were packed, even when the USA wasn’t playing.
It was then that I started imagining what it would be like for the World Cup to actually come here.
Advertisement
Although the United States’ 4–1 loss to Belgium on Monday wasn’t exactly the way I wanted it to end, I can safely say the Seattle World Cup experience exceeded even my lofty dreams.
Picking one highlight from the six games is almost impossible as every game surprised me in different ways. In the immediate buildup to this tournament, the shine had seemingly started to wear off. Actually getting the World Cup was feeling like a pyrrhic victory, one of those “careful what you wish for” achievements. All anyone could talk about was ticket prices and corruption. Empty seats and unsold hotel rooms felt inevitable. I believed the mood and narratives would change once the soccer actually started being played, but my expectations had been massively re-set.
Once the games began, I immediately realized just how powerful the World Cup can be, especially in a setting like this. The crowd for Egypt-Belgium – Seattle’s first-ever World Cup match – was a near sellout, and it was then that I appreciated the power of the diaspora. I saw Egypt fans with tears in their eyes as they saw their compatriots gathered by the Great Wheel. Their march to the match was pure joy, filled with chants, giant flags and pharoah costumes. The match, itself, was a bit underwhelming – a 1–1 tie – but everyone seemed so happy. That set a standard that was probably exceeded in each game.
The only way stories like this are possible is through the support of readers like you. Support independent soccer journalism by becoming a subscriber to Sounder at Heart.
Advertisement
Join
The Bosnia & Herzegovina fan march was genuinely awe-inspiring, as it seemed to go on forever. I swear there were 40,000 people wearing BiH’s blue, yellow and white and they were all singing ‘Ljiljani’ once it was over. The atmosphere for Iran-Egypt was absolutely electric, and I honestly felt like the stadium might explode when Iran scored what seemed to be a late game-winner only for VAR to overturn it.
My favorite memories from this tournament, though, will likely be tied to the way Seattle really came alive for the two USA matches. To see an American downtown flooded with soccer fans is not something I ever thought I’d see, and for it to happen twice in my hometown only made it more special.
Advertisement
For the Australia match, I came into downtown from my home in Wallingford on a rental bike, traveling along the newly refurbished waterfront before 8 AM. There were already massive crowds gathered.
For this match, I chose to arrive on the Link Light Rail. It was the first time I used it to get to one of the World Cup games, but I wanted to experience what it was like to emerge from Pioneer Square station with hundreds of thousands of others.
Three hours before kickoff, Occidental Square was already packed as thousands of people watched the final moments of Spain-Portugal on the Brick Park big screen. Virtually every bar was already at capacity, with lines snaking out the doors. Inside the stadium, the north pavilion was already teaming with activity and lines to get into the various pro shops snaking through the concourse.
A short while later, I caught up to the USA march to the match. Led by horse-riding Civil War re-enactors, the march took 20 minutes to pass through the intersection of 1st and Main. As it passed, sections of fans broke out into impromptu “U-S-A” chants, sang other American Outlaw standards, played instruments and held a wide variety of signs. My favorite was probably Captain America punching out a Smurf (which were created in Belgium). There were others with Clint Dempsey, Grant Wahl, Weston McKennie and John Denver. They wore eagle costumes, dressed as Founding Fathers, and flag-inspired soccer shirts … so many stripes. I swear I didn’t see a single frown.
Joe Towner / PNWMF
Given the size of the crowd inside, I have to assume that the vast majority of those in the march weren’t planning to attend the game in person. They just wanted to be part of this intoxicating energy, equal parts hope, anticipation and FOMO. City officials said 25,000 fans participated in the march, 10,000 more than took part in the one before USA-Australia. Some estimates have suggested there were as many people downtown as there were for the Seahawks’ Super Bowl prade that pushed into seven digits. Hard as that is to believe – that a soccer match could attract a crowd like that – my eyes told me it was at least possible.
The Overlook Walk’s Salish Steps were packed, just as they were many other times during these magical few weeks. Otherwise vacant storefronts were suddenly impromptu soccer bars. The Historic Triangle Pub was revived, featuring a massive screen and overflowing beer garden just around the corner from the stadium. In the Chinatown/International District — which is one of the downtown neighborhoods that hasn’t benefited as much from the World Cup crowds — hundreds crowded into Hing Hay Park to watch the game. The demand for viewing spots was seemingly insatiable.
Advertisement
The good vibes flowed seamlessly into the stadium. The buzz was overwhelmingly positive, talk of a serious run was on lips all over the park. “Why not US?” wasn’t just an empty platitude spoken by Argentinian head coach Mauricio Pochettino, it was a mantra that turned otherwise uninterested Americans into believers.
Photos by Max Aquino / Sounder at Heart
Seattle, long overlooked on U.S. Soccer’s list of preferred sites, has been dubbed “The Cathedral of Cascadia” by none other than the USMNT’s Twitter account and fans did everything possible to live up to that lofty praise. I’m not one to get emotional about the National Anthem, but when 67,000 people are collectively singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” it’s hard not to get lost in the moment. Somehow, I didn’t even notice the four fighter jets that buzzed the stadium to punctuate the song. At Minute 1, fans broke out the classic “Boom-Boom-Clap”-style “U-S-A.” You’d have thought the USMNT players would have been ready to run through walls.
Instead, they were utterly incapable of channeling that into their play against Belgium. After four matches in which they played with energy and spirit, they came out utterly flat against their most talented opponents to date. At no point did they have control of the match. They were down 1–0 before the match was even 10 minutes old, and were a bit lucky not to be down 3–0 by that time.
The one moment the USMNT had a chance – following Malik Tillman’s wonderful free kick that brought the match level – was almost immediately spoiled when they allowed Belgium to re-take the lead immediately off the ensuing kickoff.
Advertisement
Still, there was hope coming out of halftime. It didn’t take long for that to be spoiled, either. In the 57th minute, goalkeeper Matt Freese came way out of his box and badly misplayed a seemingly innocuous ball over the top, allowing Hans Vanaken to loft an uncontested shot from 35 yards into a virtually undefended net.
There were more “U-S-A” chants and Eddie Vedder even tried to inspire the Yanks by chugging a beer while on the jumbotron during a hydration break.
If there was a shred of belief left in the building, it was slowly and achingly asphyxiated until Romelu Lukaku struck the final blow with a powerful strike off another sloppy turnover in stoppage time. Fittingly, he and the Belgium bench celebrated with a mocking “Trump dance,” acknowledging the role the president insisted on playing after potentially getting FIFA to declare Folarin Balogun eligible for the match despite getting a red card against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The mood in the streets after was obviously a far cry from how the day started. Players spoke about letting themselves and the fans down. There’s an undeniable sense that an opportunity has been missed, that a confluence of events quite like this may never arrive again. That may be true for the USMNT and the greater American soccer scene.
But I’m not sure it’s true for Seattle. Our status as “Best Soccer City in America” is not new, even if it’s not a moniker we’ve tried to trademark. We reguarly brought 30,000 to Lumen Field when most of the MLS was lucky to draw half of that. Although the buzz around the Sounders has diminished a bit over the years, the World Cup crowds were actually smaller than the club’s most popular games.
Advertisement
Updated Seattle/PNW attendance records show World Cup matches occupying slots 6-10 (66,925 for each of final 5). Sounders own top 5. Among those bumped out of top 10: Sounders-Barcelona, DC United-Real Madrid, Man United-Celtic.
— Frank MacDonald (@frankmsounders.bsky.social) July 7, 2026 at 1:12 PM
It’s not that our city has discovered a love for soccer, but maybe this was the catalyst for its reawakening. Sounders leadership has a chance to embrace this moment and make sure it has legs long after the FIFA circus leaves town.
Our local leaders have a similar responsibility. We’ve always known that Seattle is a world-class city and now the world does, too. Our public transit is very good by American standards, but it can be world-class if we will it into existence. We showed how much energy can be harnessed when public space is given back to the people, and not handed to cars. Local businesses showed what they can do when unnecessary and burdensome paperwork doesn’t get in their way.
Advertisement
The World Cup was an event that I think exceeded all expectations, but the aftermath can be even better.
Thanks to Susan for the photo. She called to tell us about a dog stuck on the rocks off Beach Drive near Harbor West (the condos on pilings), and a crowd gathering to figure out how to rescue it from the rising tide. We were away from the desk at the time but after returning a little while later, we heard the situation mentioned on police radio, with word the dog had been rescued, so we didn’t head that way. Then late tonight Susan sent photos, explaining that the dog apparently is known to swim to those rocks and back, but for some reason got stuck this time, “until a paddle boarder and kayaker paddled out to it to coax it off the rocks and back to the shore.”
