The San Francisco 49ers continue to push through the 2024 season without star running back Christian McCaffrey. However, the Seattle Seahawks, who will host the 49ers on Thursday night, aren't assuming that the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year's absence will make their job any easier in this Week 6 matchup.
McCaffrey remains sidelined as he rehabs calf and bilateral Achilles tendinitis issues, which have prevented him from suiting up this season.
Despite his absence, the 49ers still boast a top-five rushing attack, with Jordan Mason leading the way with 536 rushing yards and three touchdowns on an NFL-high 105 carries.
"The violence and precision on how they run their run game is really good," Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Monday during an interview on a Seattle radio station, per MyNorthWaest.com. "They hang their hat on what they do."
The 49ers' visit could spell trouble for the Seahawks defense, currently ranked 21st against the run. Macdonald, in his first season as head coach after spending time with the Baltimore Ravens, is well-acquainted with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's potent offense and understands the dangers of underestimating it.
"If you're not careful, they can gash you in a hurry," Macdonald said. "You can play 15 plays well in a row, and the 16th play creases you … They're a really good operation, have a ton of respect for those guys. I've been going against Kyle Shanahan since 2014. So, he's familiar with what we do, we're familiar with what he does, and we got to go out playing. That's just the simple fact of the matter."
Macdonald also noted that Shanahan's rushing attack relies on many of the same sound fundamentals today as it did back in 2014 when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns.
"You turn on the 2014 tape and (it's) a lot of the same blocking schemes, but how they get there has really evolved, and how they utilize their personnel is unique," Macdonald added.
The NFC West-leading Seahawks (3-2) will face the 49ers (2-3) at Lumen Field on Thursday night, with kickoff scheduled for 5:15 p.m. PT.
H/t Andy Lindquist of NBC Sports Bay Area for the find.
