Seahawks have fared well on 49ers' turf

SANTA CLARA - Nick Mullens is 2-1 at Levi’s Stadium, and that qualifies as a beacon of hope.

The 49ers will need their quarterback’s moxie and magic Sunday - and so much more, from so many others - to end a ?10-game losing streak to the Seattle Seahawks.

That said, no quarterback has thrived at Levi’s Stadium like the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson. He’s 4-0 there since the 49ers’ migration south from Candlestick Park.

“It’s definitely a different venue in terms of where they play now,” Wilson told Seattle reporters this week about Levi’s Stadium. “Over time, there will be a lot of history there.”

Since you’re now curious, here are how other 49ers QBs have fared there: Colin Kaepernick 6-11 (6-6 before his 2016 farewell), Blaine Gabbert 3-4, Brian Hoyer 0-2, C.J. Beathard 1-5 and Jimmy Garoppolo 3-0.

Wilson and the Seahawks (8-5) could add to their Levi’s Stadium legacy by winning Sunday and clinching a wild-card playoff berth against their once-heated rival. Before listing what factors to watch, let’s take a trip down memory lane to better days for the 49ers.

Wilson was 0-2 at Candlestick, site of the Seahawks’ last losses to the 49ers, in 2012 and ‘13. However, he, like many 49ers fans, has fond memories of the ‘Stick.

“I remember my rookie year, playing in Candlestick and just the history there and just the tradition,” Wilson said. “As soon as you walk in the stadium, you could feel something different, it was special. So many Super Bowl (teams), so many crazy moments. Joe Montana. Steve Young. Jerry Rice.”

What will it take for these modern-day, makeshift 49ers to summon that energy and down Wilson and the Seahawks? Watch these areas:

1. Run defense. Seattle’s league-leading rushing attack (153.8 yards per game) excelled at attacking the 49ers’ edges in a 168-yard effort Dec. 2, a 43-16 rout at Seattle. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner called it a “lackadaisical” display by the 49ers, how they were “terrible” in the “Day 1 football” principle of setting edges.

The 49ers rebounded last Sunday. They upset the playoff-contending Denver Broncos 20-14 and limited Patrick Lindsay to 30 yards on 14 carries.

Seattle will be without one of its trio of running backs, as rookie Rashaad Penny (knee) has been ruled out. He’s the Seahawks’ third-leading rusher, and he had a 20-yard touchdown against the 49ers two weeks ago.

Key defenders to watch in this rematch are Arik Armstead (third-highest run grade among edge defenders, per Pro Football Focus), cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (the Seahawks targeted him last game) and rookies D.J. Jones, D.J. Reed and Marcell Harris, who all earned an encore start after last Sunday.

2. Wagner’s impact. Richard Sherman called ex-teammate Bobby Wagner “the best linebacker in football for at least five years, and I don’t think he ever gets enough credit.” Well, Wagner has made All-Pro honors the past four years, and he absolutely crushed the 49ers last meeting, from stripping Jeff Wilson Jr. of the ball at the Seahawks’ 5 to returning an interception 98 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown.

“He’s impacting the game so many ways,” Sherman said. “He’s blocking field goals. He returned a pick 98 yards - and he looked kind of fat and didn’t have a neck, but that’s a different story. The guys is all over the field, makes a ton of tackles.”

3. Offensive savvy. Add Mullens’ 414 yards against the Seahawks and his 332 total in Sunday’s win over the Broncos and those 746 yards are the most by a 49ers quarterback in consecutive games since Steve Young’s 761 yards in 1995.

Mullens credits a lot of his success to Shanahan’s ability to scheme open receivers, and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll echoed that. “He adapts really well to the talents of the QB,” Caroll said of Shanahan.