We started out discussion of 49ers-Seahawks matchups yesterday.  Some of today's discussion centers on matchups that have been affected by injury, be it significant or otherwise.  You never want to get too confident, but when you're facing a team that has been decimated by injury, your chances have to improve (assuming you can take advantage of the weaknesses).

Match-Up #4: 49ers Pass Rush vs. Seahawks pass protection
Advantage: 49ers - In accumulating three combined sacks, Parys Haralson and Justin Smith spent a good chunk of time taking on the right side of the Cardinals offensive line.  Seattle recently placed right guard Rob Sims on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.  In the first half of the Cardinals game the 49ers established a very solid pass rush.  The Cardinals brought in additional protection in the second half and stunted the rush and the 49ers couldn't make any adjustments.

The lack of wide receiver depth could be important in the developing pass rush.  If the 49ers can go straight man-to-man on the outside, that frees up a guy like Michael Lewis or a nickel back to add to the pass rush.  The 49ers are also thin at running back, so one would hope the 49ers try and tire them out with repeated blitzes.

Match-Up #5: Seahawks Passing Game vs. 49ers secondary
Advantage: 49ers - Matt Hasselbeck is still a very solid quarterback.  He's getting a little old, but given sufficient protection, he can pick apart defenses.  However, I can't imagine many quarterbacks who could make big plays with all unproven receivers.  This is probably the biggest story of the week considering the sheer volume of injury. 

Last weekend the 49ers secondary gave too much of a cushion due to fears of being beaten deep.  It's entirely possible Courtney Taylor or Jordan Kent could absolutely destroy the 49ers secondary.  However, it's not something the 49ers should play for at the beginning of the game.  The 49ers top 4 corners (Clements, Harris, Spencer, Strickland) is not the best group in the league, but I'd bet they're one of the better collections of talent.  They're paying these guys to shut down the pass game and this is the perfect opportunity for them to make a big impact on the overall defense.

Match-Up #6: Seahawks return game vs. 49ers return coverage
Advantage: 49ers - The injuries have even impacted the return game.  Nate Burleson was the primary return man for the Seahawks, averaging 18 yards per punt return against Buffalo (with a long of 21 yards).  The 49ers dealt with a serious averaging starting field position issue, although that was due to turnovers.  However, anything that will potentially hurt Seattle's field position is a good thing. 

The 49ers did a very good job the few times Arizona returned the ball and will look to continue this week.  The preseason was a disaster at times on special teams but so far that hasn't carried over to the regular season.  I realize it was mostly due to turnovers, but if the 49ers can avoid giving Seattle phenomenal field position, the defense might not have to exert themselves quite so much.

Normally I'd get to this sort of issue when the injury reports come along, but I think this is sufficiently big enough to discuss now.  Seahawks WR Nate Burleson is out for the season.

Deion Branch and Bobby Engram are both out for the foreseeable future, leaving Seattle with a wide receiver corp consisting Courtney Taylor, Jordan Kent and Logan Payne.  I'd imagine they'll sign somebody in the coming days, but that passing game is in a world of hurt.  This is definitely a bit different than facing the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

EDITOR'S NOTE 3:30PM - I forgot that Seneca Wallace played some WR the last few years for them.  Not a big addition, but certainly another option.

During his midday press conference today, Mike Nolan was asked about giving up the short stuff in order to prevent the long ball:

No. It wasn’t until the second half where they were able to. Now, obviously, they are a big play offense. They make big plays, and that’s one of their m.o’s. I thought that the secondary did a good job on [Larry] Fitzgerald. But that was not our goal – to give them anything underneath. We typically play a lot of man[-to-man defense] so it’s very tight coverage. There are certain situations they created some formations that they’ve done in the past as well. But we didn’t execute as well underneath the second half to get off the field. Some of those third downs for example were a case of that.”

First, it's entirely possible one of the three guys mentioned above becomes a big play threat this weekend.  It's entirely possible Hasselbeck just shreads the secondary.  I'm not betting on it, but anything is possible.

However, the 49ers should show very little respect for the pass to start the game.  Hasselbeck is a very solid QB, but if he doesn't have legit receivers out there, why not stuff the box against the run?  Does the combination of Seattle's receivers and the trio of Clements/Harris/Spencer inspire confidence that straight man-to-man coverage is sufficient?  This could open up increased blitzing and increased protection against the run.

The Seahawks did get a decent performance from TE John Carlson.  If you're looking for a tight end in fantasy football, he might be a guy worth having until Branch and Engram return.  Until the Seahawks receivers show they can make plays I'd expect to see a lot of passes to the tight end.

While there Seattle running backs are certainly decent, they do not inspire fear.  They managed 4 yards a carry (much better than Arizona's 2.8) against the Bills so they can certainly gain some ground.  If the 49ers don't worry about the big play they could provide solid depth in the defensive secondary to prevent large gains.

So am I getting ahead of myself?  The Seahawks have a solid defense so I'm not going to say this is anything remotely resembling an easy win.  The 49ers will have to play a great game to win.  However, I believe the game plan has been somewhat altered with this injury.  Mid-game adjustments are certainly a possibility, but why not be a little more aggressive early on?

EDITOR'S UPDATE 5:00PM - Apparently Maurice Morris is also out for this weekend with a sprained knee.  TJ Duckett will get more carries and I'd imagine former Cal Bear Justin Forsett will be active for the first time.  He had a great preseason, so we'll see what kinds of touches he gets on Sunday.  I've never been a huge Morris fan, but we'll see who brings the backup for Julius Jones...