This week Christian McCaffrey heads deep into enemy territory, just like he did last January.
asserted
he → head → territory
He’s got a lot more friends by his side this time around.
asserted
He → get → side
The San Francisco 49ers superstar running back was about the last man standing by the time Kyle Shanahan marched his team into Lumen Field last January.
asserted
Shanahan → stand → Field
It was him, Brock Purdy and, uh, well, actually none of the other skill position players that will take the field on Sunday.
asserted
that → take → Sunday
The final score — 41-6 — was striking, but considering the circumstances, far from shocking.
asserted
score → strike → circumstances
McCaffrey was bottled up for 74 yards on 16 touches.
asserted
McCaffrey → bottle → touches
Purdy was picked off and posted his fifth-worst passer rating as a starting quarterback.
asserted
Purdy → pick → quarterback
The Niners sent blitzes and still struggled to pressure Sam Darnold; the Seahawks rushed four and were constantly after Purdy.
asserted
Seahawks → send → Purdy
But it wasn’t an even playing field, not from the opening kick (you know, the one Rashid Shaheed returned 95 yards to the house, electrifying the 12th Man).
asserted
Shaheed → know → Man
Now, nine months later, my, oh my, how the tables have turned.
asserted
tables → turn → ?
Mike Macdonald may have come into the 49ers’ house and celebrated a Super Bowl championship in their locker room back in February, but that’s a distant memory now that Shanahan’s squad is back at full strength, or at least about as close to it as ever.
uncertain
squad → come → it
Shanahan didn’t even stick around to see it.
asserted
Shanahan → stick → it
He was on site providing analysis for the pregame show but said this week that he had fulfilled his duties by halftime and took off soon thereafter.
“It was tough,” he said.
asserted
he → provide → halftime
It’s the Niners who are riding high, the undisputed kings of the league through four weeks and on top of the NFC West.
asserted
who → ’ → West
Surely, redemption — and revenge — has to be on their minds.
asserted
redemption → have → minds
“I don’t know,” McCaffrey said.
asserted
McCaffrey → know → ?
“You know, we don’t even think about last year.”
asserted
we → know → year
This rivalry goes back further than any of its current participants, and their last meeting is as much of the record as any of their other 50 showdowns since becoming division foes in 2002.
asserted
meeting → go → 2002
You can bet their Week 1 loss to the Niners last season helped motivate the Hawks all the way to the Super Bowl.
asserted
loss → bet → Bowl
Likewise, there’s no way Shanahan isn’t using the second-most lopsided margin in the history of the rivalry as fuel for the 49ers’ own Super Bowl aspirations.
asserted
Shanahan → ’ → aspirations
As for this week, the Niners should need no extra motivation.
asserted
Niners → need → motivation
“There’s always extra juice with them, regardless of what last year was,” linebacker Fred Warner said.
asserted
Warner → ’ → them
“Those divisional games truly just mean more.
asserted
games → mean → more
When you see each other twice a year, you know one another.
asserted
you → see → one
We know them; they know us. …
asserted
they → know → us
It’s gonna be hostile.
asserted
It → go → ?
I think that’s what makes it that kind of game.
asserted
it → think → game
It doesn’t have anything to do with what happened in the past.”
asserted
what → have → past
Warner revealed after the fact that had the 49ers prevailed in January, he likely would have been cleared to return from his broken ankle for the NFC Championship.
asserted
he → reveal → Championship
When he takes the field Sunday, he’ll do so carrying the memory of not being able to make it back in time last season.
asserted
he → take → time
“They were obviously the better team that day and went on to do exactly what they earned,” he said.
asserted
he → go → what
“I couldn’t help more than just rile up the guys on the sideline.”
asserted
I → help → sideline
Warner can rouse with the best of them, but there was only so much he could do for a team missing himself, two other linebackers (Nick Martin, Tatum Bethune), tight end George Kittle, its top two pass rushers (Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams) and a starting safety (Ji’Ayir Brown).
uncertain
he → rouse → himself
Every one of them sans Bosa is expected to play Sunday, plus linebacker Dre Greenlaw and receivers Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans, who weren’t around the last time they faced off.
asserted
they → expect → Bosa
Even those were on the field last January and still in the organization have come a long way.
asserted
were → come → organization
He was down so bad chasing around Cooper Kupp that Shanahan yanked him in the first quarter.
asserted
Shanahan → chase → quarter
He had been beaten for a first down catch with Seattle backed up in second-and-20.
asserted
Seattle → beat → second
Cameras captured Shanahan on the sideline having a stern word with the cornerback — what the head coach would describe afterward as “coaching aggressively.”
asserted
coach → capture → what
It took him one game this season to come up with more interceptions (one) than he had all last year.
asserted
he → take → interceptions
He clearly took the way last season ended and used it to drive him to get better this offseason.
asserted
season → take → him
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
