49ers won't face Seahawks' vaunted '12th Man' in Week 8

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The 49ers haven't been able to play in front of spectators at any of the team's games so far this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that won't change in Week 8, as the Seattle Seahawks announced Thursday that their scheduled matchup with the 49ers will not have fans in attendance at CenturyLink Field.

Seattle hasn't hosted fans at any of the team's home games so far in 2020, and that will not be changing on Nov. 1 when these teams clash in Seattle. The "12th Man" creates one of the NFL's most notable homefield advantages, but not having them hasn't seemed to affect the results too much for Seattle, as the Seahawks are a perfect 3-0 at home.

The 49ers also haven't been allowed to play in front of fans at Levi's Stadium, as COVID-19 protocols in Santa Clara County remain in effect. Although California Gov. Gavin Newsom said large gatherings potentially could begin taking place at 25 percent capacity, the county said there won't be fans at 49ers home games "anytime soon."

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Coach Kyle Shanahan spoke Wednesday to the disadvantage teams face in not being able to play in front of fans, something many teams around the league now have been given the green light to do by their local governments.

"Not having the fans in your stadium is a huge deal, something that most of the league’s had to deal with this year," Shanahan said. "It seems like most teams aren’t going to have to deal with it as much, going forward."

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It remains to be seen whether Seattle or San Francisco will be able to host fans at home games before the end of the 2020 season. The 49ers’ Week 7 game in New England also will be played without fans at Gillette Stadium.

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