Just four days after a win against the Baltimore Ravens, the San Francisco 49ers will lace it up again on "Thursday Night Football" against the Seattle Seahawks.
The game marks the second consecutive season in which the two teams have met on a Thursday night at Levi's® Stadium. Seattle's 19-3 win last Thanksgiving night will be fresh on the minds of a 49ers team looking to get its first win against the Seahawks on its new home turf.
Thursday night also will likely mean more to one player in particular. NaVorro Bowman gets his first crack at the Seahawks since the 2013 NFL Championship game, the contest in which the linebacker's knee injury took place.
"It's always going to be a special game between the two of us," Bowman told Seattle media on Tuesday.
Here are five more things to watch when Bowman and the 49ers look to end their current three-game losing streak to the Seahawks. 1. Inactive Report
Hopefully in the 49ers case, none of these players are among the seven inactives come Thursday evening.
Pierre Garçon (foot), Anquan Boldin (hamstring) and Erik Pears (back) are all listed as questionable.
Alex Boone (shoulder), Bowman (shoulder), Reggie Bush (calf), Vernon Davis (knee), Bruce Ellington (calf), Garrett Celek (chest), Eric Reid (chest), Joe Staley (knee) and Brandon Thomas (ankle) are all listed as probable.
There's a real chance that San Francisco will only have healthy scratches on Thursday. That would be remarkable given the short week.
2. Get to Russell Wilson
The Seahawks have allowed 26 sacks through six games this season. That's the most in the NFL. Harassing Wilson throughout the game and exploiting the Seahawks subpar offensive line will be the easiest way to find success defensively. Limiting Wilson's time to throw the football will also put less pressure on a secondary that's allowed 784 passing yards the last two weeks combined.
Look for starting outside linebackers Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks to play a massive role in the outcome of the game. Lynch recorded one sack against Seattle as a rookie in 2014 and Brooks has four career sacks versus the Seahawks.
3. Continue to roll on offense
San Francisco's 52 points the last two weeks combined are the team's two highest point totals of the season – 27 points versus the New York Giants in Week 5 and 25 points versus the Ravens last Sunday. In those games, Colin Kaepernick has been turnover free and sharp on his passes downfield.
Seattle's vaunted secondary is still a talented group, but they've shown vulnerable moments this season. Last Sunday, Cam Newton engineered four 80-plus yard touchdown drives including a game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Olson with 0:32 remaining in the game.
Kaepernick will aim to continue his strong play against the team that he's struggled against in recent meetings. The quarterback owns a 2-5 record in his career against Seattle with three touchdowns to his nine interceptions.
4. Jarryd Hayne vs. Tyler Lockett
Two rookies who are centerpieces of the return game for their respective team.
Lockett has already scored two touchdowns as a return man this season, one on a kickoff and one on a punt. Seattle's third-round pick in 2015 is third in the league with 318 kick return yards and fifth with 172 punt return yards.
Hayne's 37-yard punt return against the Arizona Cardinals stands as the Australian's marquee moment in his young football career. The rookie running back was also a few steps away from breaking a return loose last Sunday against the Ravens.
Both players are electric with the ball in their hands and have the capability to change the momentum of the game on just one play.
5. Finish in the red zone
Despite the win against the Ravens, the 49ers were 0-for-3 in the red zone, being forced to settle for three field goals.
Opportunities inside the 20-yard line may be few and far between against a tough Seattle defense. That makes it imperative to turn those red-zone trips into touchdowns on Thursday night. San Francisco is currently only converting 36.84 percent of those opportunities into touchdowns.
