The Seahawks will likely wait until near game time to annouce a starting QB against the Bears.  Matt Hasselbeck fractured a rib on a running play last week when 49ers’ linebacker Patrick Willis laid the wood to him.  Still, a gimpy Hasselbeck would likely give the Seahawks a better chance to win than a healthy Seneca Wallace.  Hasselbeck has completed 35 of 54 passes (64.8%) for 376 yards with 3 TD passes and 2 interceptions (88.2 QB Rating).  So Hasselbeck is off to a solid start to the season and the Seahawks need him if they are going to be a playoff team.  Seneca Wallace did a decent job replacing Hasselbeck against the Niners as he completed 15 of 23 passes (65.2%) for 127 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception (75.8 QB Rating).  Wallace is a so-so QB who is very streaky.

The Seahawks got beat up in San Francisco yesterday.  Matt Hasselbeck completed 10 of 18 passes for 97 yards before leaving this game with a fractured rib.  Seneca Wallace replaced him and he completed 15 of 23 passes for 127 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Justin Forsett led the Seahawks in rushing with 35 yards on 5 carries (7.0 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 57 yards (9.5 avg).  The Seahawks finished up with 283 total yards on offense (66 rushing, 217 passing) in this game.

The Seahawks’ D was pretty bad in this game.  Frank Gore shredded them finishing with 207 yards on 16 carries (12.9 ypc) with TD runs of 79 and 80 yards!  Safety Jordan Babineaux (8 tackles) and DE Lawrence Jackson (4 tackles, 2 sacks) led the way for the D.  The 49ers finished up with 379 total yards in this game (256 rushing, 123 passing).  The Seahawks are now 1-1 on the season.

The Seahawks pounded the 49ers 34-13 the last time these two teams played in San Francisco.  In fact, the Seahawks have won 5 of the last 6 meetings between these two teams in San Francisco.  The Seahawks would like to have the balance they had against the Rams last week (34 runs, 36 passes).  The Seahawks would like to run the ball with Julius Jones and Edgerrin James against the Niners but that will be easier said than done.  MLB Patrick Willis is a absolute beast in the middle of the defense for the Niners who only allowed 40 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.4 ypc) last week against the Cardinals.  The Seahawks will likely keep the passing game short to TE John Carlson and WRs Nate Burleson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

The 49ers want to get back to running the ball despite only getting 21 yards rushing on 25 carries (0.8 ypc) against the Cardinals last week.  The Seahawks only gave up 77 yards rushing (4.3 ypc) last week to the Rams but that won’t stop Frank Gore from getting a lot of carries.  QB Shaun Hill will likely have some success throwing the ball as long as the O-Line gives him time.  WRs Isaac Bruce and Josh Morgan could have decent games against the Seahawks this week.  The Niners are also trying to keep TE Vernon Davis involved in the passing game and that will likely continue this week.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 17, SEAHAWKS 16

John Carlson had a amazing game against the Rams last Sunday as he caught 6 passes for 95 yards (15.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Carlson is quickly turning into Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite receiver in the passing game.  Carlson has now played in 17 games in his NFL career and he has caught 61 passes for 722 yards (11.8 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  He is a nice weapon to have on offense especially with the O-Line problems the Seahawks are having due to injuries.

The Seahawks will be without starting OLB LeRoy Hill for at least the next couple of weeks due to a groin injury.  Hill had 2 tackles against the Rams in the season opener before he was injured.  Hill has now played in 57 games in his NFL career and he has made 331 tackles, has 13.5 sacks, he has defensed 11 passes and forced six fumbles.  Hill will be replaced by D.D. Lewis in the starting lineup.  Lewis played in 14 games (2 starts) for the Seahawks last season and he made 45 tackles.  The Seahawks will miss Hill’s big play ability while he is out.

UPDATE:  Hill will now miss at least the next six weeks and his groin could require surgery which would keep him out a lot longer.  This is a big loss for the Seahawks.