Unbelievable.  Just UN-BE-lievable.  The 49ers seemed to do everything they possibly could to blow this game.  Fumbles, blown blocking assignments, turnovers, a missed field goal from Mr. Reliable.  And yet, in spite of all this, the 49ers managed to win.  The 49ers made numerous mistakes, but somehow they made enough plays in the end to win it.  I'm about as excited as I've ever been after a win.

The Good
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce - After being shutout and left for dead in week 1, Isaac Bruce went in the way back machine finishing with 4 receptions for 153 yards.  More importantly is that all 4 of his receptions led to 49ers first downs, none so important as the 33 yarder on 3rd and 7 in overtime.  So much for having lost a step

JTO - For as much grief as he gets (and got in the game thread) O'Sullivan made plays.  As I said just before the season started, there will be times he makes exciting plays and there will be times he makes you grimace.  There were several times we wished he'd throw the ball away, but then late in the game, holding onto the ball allowed him to make some big plays.  It's only been 2 games, but this is clearly going to be a wild ride.

Bamm Bamm - Patrick Willis had the game changing play when he ran back that interception for the touchdown.  When he was out after that the Seahawks ran all over the defense, but when he returned the 49ers defense stepped up to make some plays.  Not a coincidence.

Bryant Johnson - He wasn't flashy but he made six big catches and has been the most consistent receiver through two weeks.  Isaac Bruce stepped up as the #1 guy this week, but Johnson just made plays.

The Bad
Special Teams - There was the missed field goal (not all Nedney's fault), the bad kick near the end of the first half, the big returns by Seattle's returners.  There is definitely some work to be done here.

The Ugly
Coaching Adjustments - As John Carlson was shredding the passing defense, the coaches were not making adjustments at all.  This game should not have been this difficult, but it seemed like our defensive coaches were struggling to figure out this Seahawks offense.  Maybe having all these new receivers was actually to Seattle's benefit.

Pass Rush - They redeemed themselves with a big sack late in the fourth quarter, but other than that, they might as well have gone without any defensive linemen they way they were performing.

There is plenty more to discuss as this went from the ugliest of losses to the biggest of wins in no time.  J.T. O'Sullivan certainly still has plenty to prove, but even the biggest skeptic has to see some of the positives he brings to this team.  Coming off such an emotional win, the 49ers can NOT have a letdown next week at home against Detroit.

Thanks again to everybody who took part in the open thread.  After the jump is the breakdown of commenters for the game.  The emotion ran high and it was definitely an exciting afternoon of football.

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As I look back at my posts this week, you'd think this was a lock-win for the 49ers and anything less than a two touchdown victory might be a disappointment.  The gambling folks appear to agree with my initial thoughts (maybe they read NN, right?).  The Seahawks opened as 9.5 point favorites, but as of this evening they sit as only 6.5 point favorites, meaning heavy money is going on the 49ers.

So I thought I'd take a step back and see what the folks at Scouts Inc. and the rest of the World Wide Leader have to say about our favorite team.  In their predictions, there's a 4-4 split among ESPN analysts.  However, the scouts are predicting a 24-14 as they think the defense will be its stellar self and the offense wil somehow find a way to make plays.

While I realize Matt Hasselbeck is a very solid quarterback, it's hard for me to fathom what he will create Sunday.  But as they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  According to the scouts, when the Seahawks are on offense:

The pass protection . . . must improve after Hasselbeck was repeatedly dropped by an aggressive Bills pressure package. More three-step drops and quick throws can limit the hits on Hasselbeck, but will the timing be there with a group of inexperienced wideouts? The Seahawks could get the backs and tight ends more involved on short zone reads and checkdowns. Yet another injury -- RB Maurice Morris' knee -- will mean more carries for RB Julius Jones, which could be beneficial. A rotation keeps backs fresh but can make it difficult for runners to find a rhythm.

If the Seahawks go to a lot of short reads and checkdowns, how will that affect the 49ers defensive scheme?  I'd imagine Manny Lawson will get a lot of time covering the likes of John Carlson and Will Heller.  With Parys Haralson and the defensive line able to bring the heat, it opens up a guy like Lawson for coverage.

The Scouts also pointed out three keys to success.  For Seattle these were:

1. Give Hasselbeck more time: "Expect more conservative two-man routes and max-protect schemes this week if the 49ers try to emulate the Bills by pulling out the stops."

2. Develop a run game: "The front side of the line needs to be more physical on wide run plays, and all Seahawks blockers need to do a better job of sustaining contact."

3. Make dramatic improvements in the third phase (special teams): "Preseason concerns about coverage units were well-founded, but the Seahawks need to get much better in all areas of the kicking game."

As far as the third one is concerned, it will be tough without your regular return man, so hopefully the 49ers can take advantage.  The other two will be interesting.  Julius Jones was mostly a platoon running back with Marion Barber down in Dallas.  So, if he's going to be carrying the load tomorrow, I'm curious how he can handle it.  TJ Duckett is there to spell him, but it sounds like they want Jones to be the guy, at least for now.

It's obvious to state, but the running game will play a major role in the success of the Seahawks.  It's tough enough when your top receivers are all injured, but the running game is huge for winning, but also for that first key to success.  The offensive line will need to create time, but an established running game slows down the pass rush considerably.  I think Matt Hasselbeck could make some nice, short plays with me as a wide receiver if given enough time.  If Jones can be contained, the 49ers will be able to send additional blitzers without fear of getting burned.  Furthermore, the lack of a running game would kill any play-action plays, freeing up the linebackers and safeties for blitzing or pass coverage.

I do think this will be a relatively low-scoring, defensive battle.  Neither offense did much of anything last week and both defenses are going to be solid this season.  It's a huge game, particularly for the 49ers.  A loss drops them to 0-2 in the division.  Considering the crappiness of the division and the tough non-division schedule, every divisional win is huge.

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...