Shanahan praises rival stars Witherspoon and Walker ahead of 49ers-Seahawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Ahead of the impending match of week 11, coach Kyle Shanahan took the time in the latest episode “49ers Game Plan” to admire two stars of the Seattle Seahawks.
The first was the Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
“He’s as good as advertised,” Shanahan told Greg Papa of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s a little different from the guys they’ve had in the past. For me, he’s a little smaller, more nervous, faster. (He) plays so well in the nickel at such a high level; they put him outside of the numbers, and he plays at such a high level as well.
“We don’t really know where he’s going to be. They can change it from play to play, they can change it in the game. He’s just as good in the running game as he is in the passing game. He’s a playmaker. He’s going to be a good player for a long time.
At six feet tall and 185 pounds, Witherspoon is one of the most versatile secondary defenders in the league. The second-year Illinois product started all nine games for Seattle during the 2024 NFL season and collected 51 tackles, three passes defended, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit.
Shanahan, however, is no stranger to Witherspoon. In the 49ers win 36-24 against the Seahawks in Week 6, the cornerback led his team with a PFF grade of 76.7 (h/t Tim Weaver of The Sporting News). Expect Shanahan to get creative with play calls away from Witherspoon on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.
The other player who amazed Shanahan was running back Kenneth Walker III.
“I mean, he’s as good as talent-wise,” Shanahan told Papa. They (the Seahawks) don’t run the ball much, but he leads the league in missed tackles. He’s a hard guy to touch; if you give him space and there’s only one guy there, he’ll probably make you look like an idiot. We’re not thinking about stopping the run first with them because they’re so good in the passing game, but like any team, you have to make them one-dimensional.
Walker ran for 2,353 and 23 touchdowns on 546 carries throughout his three-year career. During the 2024 season, Walker rushed for 398 yards and six touchdowns on 99 carries.
Quarterback Geno Smith and Seattle lead the NFL in passing yards per game with 284.4. Shanahan expects the Seahawks to continue their pass-first approach, but made it clear that Walker’s ability to catch passes can create a lot of problems, especially if he handles the ball well.
“You already know you have your work cut out for you in the passing game, but when you have a talented player like (Walker) in the running game, you have to make sure he doesn’t throw; you need to make it one-dimensional. They are problematic in the passing game, but if he does both, then Geno will be much more comfortable.
This season, Walker is averaging a career-high 31 receiving yards per game. He had eight catches for 38 yards against San Francisco in Week 6, while rushing for 32 more and a score.
Shanahan knows the 49ers will have their hands full against Seahawks stars Walker and Witherspoon. But San Francisco has Seattle’s number and will aim to repeat their last meeting at Lumen Field.
