The San Francisco 49ers finish off their 2019 regular-season campaign on the road against the 11-4 Seattle Seahawks -- a contest which will decide who wins the NFC West and whether or not the Niners secure the top seed in the conference.

Needless to say, there are plenty of storylines between San Francisco and Seattle. There was the heated rivalry days earlier in the decade, when Niners-Seahawks was must-watch television. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh cut his teeth as an assistant under then-defensive coordinator Gus Bradley during his days with the Seahawks, too.


And then, of course, there's cornerback Richard Sherman.

In advance of Sunday's contest, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson told 49ers.com he has a lot of respect for what the perennial Pro Bowler has done over his career.

"I think he's obviously a great player," Wilson said. "He's so smart. He studies the game. We have to know that, and he's always been great with that."

Looking back at the decade in review, Pro Football Focus recently announced Sherman as their choice for the decade's best cornerback, saying:

Sherman's coverage numbers this year match the trend of his career — he has been the most difficult cornerback to pass the ball against since he came into the league. In this decade, only two cornerbacks have allowed a completion rate of under 50% (with 250 or more targets), and those cornerbacks are Richard Sherman (49.6%) and Darrelle Revis (49.8%). They were deployed in dramatically different ways, but Sherman and Revis have undoubtedly been the two best corners of the PFF era (2006 – present).


Now, Sherman will have a chance to help San Francisco do something it hasn't done in quite a long time: defeat the Seahawks in Seattle. The last time the Niners pulled off a win at CenturyLink Field was back in December of 2011.

There's another storyline to watch on Sunday.

"He's been having an unbelievable year," Wilson continued. "He's one of the best to ever play the game at that position. Got a lot of respect for him. That's for sure."

The 49ers and Seahawks kick off their Sunday Night Football Matchup on Dec. 29 at 8:20 p.m. ET.

Written By:

Peter Panacy


Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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