Week 5 Preview: The first 49ers-Seahawks tilt of the season highlights the slate

AJ Brown is no longer with the Eagles, marking a major departure from the core that defined the team over the past four to five years; his absence, combined with Jason Kelsey's departure and Lane Johnson's retirement, signals a complete transition away from the era that won the Super Bowl.

Aaron Rodgers' performance for the Steelers has been inconsistent and uninspired. The source describes his play as a 'week to week thing based on what does he want' and notes that he is only willing to be aggressive and throw downfield once every three to four games. The rest of the time, the Steelers offense feels like they are 'spinning the wheel and hoping you come up on a good thing.'

Alec Pierce is not healthy and unavailable for the Colts. He was the primary target the Colts wanted to use for downfield throws, and his absence forces them to rely on secondary receivers like Laquan Treadwell, which limits the effectiveness of their passing game.

Robinson has been phenomenal for the Falcons; Atlanta leads the league with a 51.1% rushing success rate per Next Gen Stats over the last couple of weeks. The source expects Robinson to rush for three digits against the Ravens but is uncertain whether it will reach the 180+ yards and multiple touchdowns he has posted in recent weeks, given the Ravens' improved run defense and heavier box usage.

Brock Bowers is the Raiders' one truly difficult man-coverage receiver. The source notes that the Raiders scheme him effectively through stacks, switch verts, and switch stem concepts to create separation. Bowers proved last week he can separate at the catch point even against longer corners like LeJarrius Sneed. Against the Patriots' smaller cornerbacks (Marcus Jones, Kendall Vildor) and with Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis potentially unavailable, Bowers should have favorable matchups to exploit man coverage.

Purdy will throw middle-of-the-field 11-20 yard passes against the Seahawks, but the source questions whether he consistently has the arm talent to fit those throws against Ernest Jones and the Seahawks' corners and safeties, contrasting his ability to Matthew Stafford's.

Brock Purdy's tendency to extend plays has affected Mike Evans' deep route tree; one of Evans' 20+ air yard targets was a crosser that drifted off-field because Purdy was extending rather than hitting the designed deep shot.

Christian McCaffrey is listed as a resting player on the 49ers injury report, not injury-related; part of the team's veteran rest management strategy.

DJ Moore's shoulder injury and matchup against Trent McDuffie heavily favor the Rams defense; even at full health, Moore is not a separation-creating man coverage beater, and this version of McDuffie playing at a high level makes it very difficult for Bills receivers to separate consistently in the game.

Dallas Goddert has not been available for the Eagles offense; his absence removes a key pass-catching option and contributes to the overall lack of healthy weapons available to support the struggling offense.

If DJ Moore is unavailable, the Bills should look to increase opportunities for Dalton Kincaid as a pass catcher in 13 personnel looks, moving away from the heavy personnel packages that relied on Moore; Kincaid could see more routes and targets as the primary receiver in those formations.

Daniel Jones cannot push the ball down the field effectively for the Colts. The source notes that even if he could, the Colts' preferred deep-ball target, Alec Pierce, is not healthy. As a result, the Colts are forced to throw deep balls to secondary receivers like Laquan Treadwell, which is not as effective. The source concludes that the Colts have struggled to be the offense they want to be at all.

Devante Adams has a favorable matchup against the Bills' secondary in Week 5; the source notes that if Adams lines up on the backside against the Bills' simplified zone coverage scheme, the Rams 'probably have a pretty good matchup' because the Bills' backside corner is locked in man coverage with limited help.

Samuel was used in an under-center offset alignment on a run play, illustrating Kyle Shanahan's creative and varied run-game concepts; the source notes the 49ers' bread and butter remains zone stuff, but Shanahan employs counter power and gap concepts with unusual alignments and back positioning.

Devonta Smith has been banged up and unavailable for stretches; he is one of the few healthy pass-catching reinforcements the Eagles can count on, but his injury history and limited availability make it difficult to build offensive consistency. Unlike the 2024 season when the Eagles got healthy before the bye week with multiple star receivers returning, Smith alone is not enough to salvage the offense.

Kittle's banana motion and blocking ability are central to the 49ers' run scheme; he demonstrated actual movement and edge displacement on a key run against Denver, exemplifying his value in their motion-heavy offensive design.

With Juszczyk unavailable, Kittle will take on expanded inline blocking duties and movement responsibilities, particularly in 21 personnel; the source expects Kittle to get more cardio in this week as he assumes the role Juszczyk typically fills, moving around consistently rather than serving primarily as a receiver.

Jadarian Price is not available for the Seahawks in Week 5, which contributes to the team's struggles in the run game; the source notes the Seahawks are third worst in the league in runs of negative or zero yards at 24% of the time, partly attributable to Price's absence.

The source notes that quarterbacks feel more unsettled due to pressure situations, suggesting Hurts may face similar challenges in Week 5 matchups.

The Eagles offense is described as unwatchable and bottom-eight at best; with the offensive line in disarray and key pass catchers unavailable or injured, the quarterback situation is severely compromised. The source projects the Eagles offense to finish bottom-eight, which would result in a team that wins approximately seven games and picks ninth in the draft.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the only main piece for the Seahawks that did not practice on Wednesday, but this was for rest purposes rather than injury.

The source identifies JSN as a 'hell of a trump card' for the Seahawks against the 49ers, suggesting he could have an outsized impact in this matchup despite the defensive strength on both sides; the source explicitly states they cannot rule out JSN going off in this game.

Allen faces off against Matthew Stafford in a rare cross-conference matchup of the two previous MVPs; the source notes this is a notable occurrence, with the teams employing the previous two MVPs having played each other in seven of the last eight years.

The source notes that Kirk Cousins is vulnerable to man coverage pressure; when the Patriots crush the pocket on him and hit him, he tends to leave dicey throws. The source also notes that Cousins will dice up zone coverage, so the Patriots' defensive approach—whether they can get away with man coverage given their cornerback injuries—will be critical to their defensive success.

Juszczyk will not play in this game and is out for multiple weeks. He hasn't missed a game since 2022 and is a critical part of the 49ers' motion and blocking scheme; his absence forces the team to retool their offensive approach.

Juszczyk is unavailable (implied injury/absence); the source notes that without him, the 49ers will be trickier in executing counter power and gap-based run concepts, and George Kittle will likely assume more of Juszczyk's inline blocking role and movement responsibilities, particularly in 21 personnel situations.

Kyron Williams has a favorable matchup against the Bills' secondary in Week 5; the source indicates that if Williams lines up out of the backfield against the Bills' simplified zone coverage with backside flat defenders instructed to 'hug' receivers, the Rams have 'a pretty good matchup.'

Over the first four weeks of the season, Lamar Jackson was playing at an elite level—the source describes him as 'the best player in football' during that stretch. He has been dicing up defenses from the pocket rather than relying on designed runs, and the source expresses concern that an ankle injury could derail what was shaping up to be a sensational season. The hope is he misses only a game or two and returns to that level; if the injury affects his performance or flow, it would be a tragedy given how dominant he was playing.

Laquan Treadwell is being used as a downfield target for the Colts in the absence of Alec Pierce. However, the source notes that throwing downfield to Treadwell is not as effective as it would be to Pierce, suggesting Treadwell is a secondary option rather than the ideal target for the Colts' deep-ball scheme.

Stafford faces off against Josh Allen in a rare cross-conference matchup of the two previous MVPs; the source notes this is a notable occurrence, with the teams employing the previous two MVPs having played each other in seven of the last eight years.

Stafford's performance is being constrained by the Rams' weak offensive line in pure pass protection situations; the source notes that when Stafford is crowded, he throws interceptions. The Rams have already faced 13 drop backs of second-and-11 or longer through four games (tied for third most in NFL), compared to just 22 total last season (lowest in NFL by five). On third down, they've had 15 drop backs of 11+ yards to go in 2025 versus 15 total last season, indicating a significant increase in negative game scripts and pressure situations.

Evans provides a middle-of-the-field presence for the 49ers offense; while not 100 percent healthy, he still represents a valuable receiving option in the scheme.

Evans does not feel 100 percent healthy but still functions as a nice middle of the field presence for the Buccaneers offense.

Mike Evans has been productive for the 49ers this year but has not filled the expected role as a deep vertical threat outside the numbers. He has only three catches of 20+ air yards on five targets; one was a goal-line touchdown against Miami, one was a crosser that drifted off-field due to Purdy extending, and one was a deep dig over the middle. The source questions whether Week 5 against Seattle will be the game where Evans finally challenges defenders outside the numbers, a key formula for beating the Seahawks defense.

Puka Nacua has a favorable matchup against the Bills' secondary in Week 5; the source suggests that if Nacua lines up on the backside against the Bills' simplified zone coverage with man-locked corners, the matchup 'becomes even uglier' for the Bills compared to what Matt Collin already exposed.

Darnold is not seeing the field as well as he did last year; while he's dealing with some missed games and health concerns, he's also still learning a new system. Against San Francisco's elite pressure defense and Fred Warner's coverage, the source expects 'tough sledding' for Darnold, describing him as 'unsettled' compared to last year, particularly in defined passing situations where the Niners' pressure scheme will make him uncomfortable.

Zay Flowers has been really good and impressive in the Ravens' scheme, though he has been in and out of the lineup due to injuries. The source notes that Flowers has been a key part of Lamar Jackson's success, and the pass-catching group outside of Flowers is not electric, making his availability important to the Ravens' offensive performance.