
SANTA CLARA – When the Seattle Seahawks made their first trip to Levi’s Stadium for a Thanksgiving night matchup last season, they had the same record as the 49ers.
Again, the 49ers and Seahawks come into a Thursday night on equal footing. But instead of being atop the NFC West, the teams' 2-4 marks have them together at the bottom of the division standings.
Plenty has changed, but a lot has remained the same with the 49ers’ biggest rival, 49ers coach Jim Tomsula said.
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“Yeah, they’re the same team as last year,” Tomsula said. “They are the same team, they are. They’re the same team and they are a good team. Seattle is a good football team and their quarterback is still the quarterback, their running is still the running back, their O-Line, they’ve got a couple of new faces in there, but it’s the same schemes and they are doing it well. Defensively, they are running their defense. They are doing the things that they do. So they are a good team.”
Last year, the game at Levi’s Stadium was a turning point. The 49ers entered the game with a 7-4 record. The 49ers were soundly beaten 19-3, prompting CEO Jed York to apologize on Twitter. The 49ers fell out of contention with a four-game losing streak that included another loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.
After the game at Levi's Stadium, Seattle's Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson ate turkey at the 50-yard line as part of the televised postgame show. Tomsula claimed he did not give the perceived insult a second thought until being asked about it at Monday’s press conference.
[REWIND: Kap not 'necessarily happy about' Seahawks' turkey meal]
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“I didn’t remember that until you just brought that up. Yeah, I don’t really pay much attention to the pomp-in-stance around it,” Tomsula said, fully aware he had just made up a word.
Again, there appears to be a lot at stake as both teams are 0-1 within the NFC West and are in danger of falling further behind division-leading Arizona (4-2). Three of the Seahawks’ losses this season are to unbeaten teams Green Bay, Cincinnati and Carolina. The 49ers snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday with a 25-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
“Well, to me any win is a good win,” Tomsula said. “To us, that’s one thing around here that we all know being in this area that this is a big game. We don’t make any bones about that. Any time you play Seattle it’s a big deal. So I wouldn’t expect that we’ve got to get anybody pumped up for this game. But, all wins are big wins and this is another one, division. So it’s a big game for us.”