The Seahawks host the 49ers on Thursday night in an NFC West matchup between two teams with playoff hopes, teams that are both looking to bounce back from disappointing home losses in Week 5. To help you get ready for this week's game, we reached out 49ers team reporter Lindsey Pallares with three questions about this week's opponent.

Coming off another Super Bowl appearance, expectations are no doubt high for the 49ers, what hasn't gone according to plan so far on the way to a 2-3 start despite outscoring and outgaining their opponents on the aggregate by a decent amount through five games?

Pallares: The injury bug comes to mind first – this team has had to deal with a number of players being sidelined for one or more games and it's only Week 6 of the season. There was a small stretch (three weeks) in which the 49ers had to do without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Deebo Samuel last season, but for the most part, the team was able to avoid major losses in 2023.

Before the first game of the year, San Francisco had their top two running backs – Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell – go down and added several more names to the list as the weeks progressed. The 49ers also lost their starting defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and linebacker Curtis Robinson for the year and had key playmakers, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and now, Jake Moody all miss some time. As of Wednesday afternoon, safety Talanoa Hufanga has been added to the Injured Reserve list again due to torn ligaments in his wrist. It's really tough to get the momentum needed to carry a season when you have injuries shaking up the lineup so often this early in the season.

Christian McCaffrey has been a thorn in Seattle's side in past meetings, how is his absence affecting the offense, and how are the 49ers compensation until he can make it back?

Pallares: I think any time a team has to carry on without the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, it's likely you're going to see the effects of that absence somewhere. Christian McCaffrey was the most dominant offensive player in the league in 2023, scoring 21 touchdowns, closing out the regular season as the rushing triple crown winner and overall, just a huge presence on and off the field. He also was a big reason the 49ers were so effective in the red zone – 18 of his 21 scores were red zone touchdowns. This is an area the 49ers stand to improve on in the current season, but in terms of rushing yardage and more generally, just moving the ball well, the 49ers roster has proven to have the star power and depth to still be a productive offense.

One of the bright spots early in the season has been the emergence of former undrafted free agent Jordan Mason, who is the second-leading rusher in the NFL right now (536 rushing yards). He's just 36 yards behind four-time Pro Bowler and the 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Derrick Henry. The 49ers are also looking to "wideback" Deebo Samuel Sr. to take some additional snaps out of the backfield and have started working in rookie running back Isaac Guerendo.

What matchup or matchups are you most looking forward to seeing play out on Thursday night?

Pallares: The matchup I'm hoping to see may not happen with Charvarius Ward headed into Thursday's game with a questionable injury designation, but I'll mention it anyways. Last year's battle at Lumen Field involved an impressive performance by Ward, who was able to effectively limit the production of DK Metcalf. The Seahawks veteran wideout made it out of that matchup with just three catches on nine targets for 32 yards in that game. Ward came away with three pass breakups and five tackles.

The 2024 Seattle Seahawks are a top three passing offense, and Metcalf continues to be Geno Smith's favorite target, so that's a matchup I'd like to see again. Ward is currently battling a knee injury he sustained in Week 5, but if he is given the green light to play, the 49ers top corner versus Seattle's top wideout is the matchup I'm most looking to watching.