49ers rookie Reuben Foster gets first shot at Seahawks' Russell Wilson Sunday

SANTA CLARA - A healthy Reuben Foster might be just what the 49ers need Sunday to thwart their chief nemesis from the past few years: Russell Wilson, quarterback extraordinaire of the Seattle Seahawks.

Foster, the 49ers’ rookie linebacker, is coming off only the first two full games of his rookie season.

He produced double-digit tackle totals in each outing, and, more important, showed the play-making range needed to combat Wilson when they meet Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

It will take much more than a one-on-one matchup for the 49ers (1-9) to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Seahawks (6-4) dating back to the 2013 season’s NFC championship game.

But Reuben-vs.-Russell at least offers a new dimension, and the 49ers need all they can to stop the savvy veteran quarterback who is 10-2 all-time against them.

“Coming from where he’s coming from in college (Alabama), he’s faced a lot of quarterbacks that can run and play fast,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “I don’t think it’s going to be a big adjustment for him.”

Perhaps not. But Foster brings a better play-making potential than what NaVorro Bowman and Ray-Ray Armstrong offered in the 49ers’ Week 2 loss at Seattle, when Wilson rallied the Seahawks to a 12-9 win and threw a go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

“Russell is playing good football,” Carroll added. “He’s doing everything. It’s great to see him healthy; you can see the contrast to how hampered he was last year. He’s really on his game.”

Wilson nearly rallied Seattle past Atlanta on Monday night, totaling seven carries for 86 yards and a touchdown while passing for 258 yards and a touchdown in the 34-31 loss.

Wilson has not missed an NFL start and will be making his 91st in a row Sunday, the fifth-longest active streak among quarterbacks. His rookie counterpart, C.J. Beathard, will be making his fifth in a row while the 49ers opt to keep Jimmy Garoppolo in the bullpen.

“I got a chance to go up against Wilson, and that’s an honor,” Foster said Wednesday on KNBR’s “Murph and Mac” show. “I want to go up against these guys I grew up watching.”

Then he’s watched Wilson torment the 49ers not with massive stats, but elusive plays.

In that Week 2 matchup on Sept. 17 in Seattle, the Seahawks overtook the 49ers once Wilson scrambled and eventually threw a third-and-7 touchdown pass to Paul Richardson with 7:06 remaining. DeForest Buckner was left grasping at Wilson’s ankles as the touchdown pass left his hand.

The 49ers went three-and-out on their ensuing possession and never got the ball back. Foster was out because of an ankle sprain in the season opener and missed five weeks.

Wilson is averaging only 203 passing yards per game against the 49ers and he’s been sacked 35 times in 12 games. But he has 16 touchdown passes to seven interceptions, and countless escapes from the pocket.

The quarterback’s main focus typically is not a linebacker such as Foster but rather a defensive back, and the 49ers’ secondary offers up plenty of vulnerable targets. They’ll likely be without their top three options at free safety - Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt are on injured reserve, Adrian Colbert had thumb surgery last week -so Antone Exum or Dexter McColl might make their starting debuts.

The 49ers cornerback corps will have to “plaster” their receivers for when plays break down and Wilson scrambles. Good luck with that, Ahkello Witherspoon, Dontae Johnson, K’Wuan Williams and Leon Hall.

Penetrating the pocket against an always-questionable Seattle line will flush Wilson out, and that is where Foster and other defenders must be alert. Wilson is their leading rusher (58 carries, 376 yards). He is by far the 49ers’ chief concern, although Thomas Rawls will likely start at running back and try repeating his 2015 heroics against the 49ers (209 rushing yards, two touchdowns).