THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: An NFL opener morphing into 'Curious in Seattle’

A calf? 

A #$%%$# calf? 

Here we are, trying to bounce back from last year’s 6-11 debacle of a season, trying to get back in the Super Bowl hunt, and our stud running back, Christian McCaffrey, is questionable for the season opener with a calf injury suffered in practice this week. 

This, after missing most of last season due to injury, and not playing at all in the preseason this year as a precaution. 

Not only that, another 49ers running back is hurt and might miss the game. 

At this point, San Francisco might have to ask for a few carries from Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig. 

Meanwhile, the “local” team — the one 300 miles west of here — is looking to build on a 10-7 season that was encouraging, but not quite good enough to make the playoffs. 

Those two worlds collide this afternoon at Lumen Field, when San Francisco visits Seattle in their NFL season opener.

THE SEAHAWKS seem like a young, hungry bunch. 

They had a young, hungry bunch just over a decade ago, and that group went to back-to-back Super Bowls — but never sniffed even an NFC Championship Game after that.  

That led to the eventual relocation of the legendary “Pete” to Las Vegas. 

Curious to see what this young bunch can do. 

Their head coach is touted as a “defensive guy” tasked with shoring up a leaky defense. Their new offensive coordinator was brought in to direct a more balanced, less predictable offense, and their GM is regarded as a player personnel wizard. 

After watching Geno Smith revive his career in Seattle the past few years, the Seahawks will try to de-Jets-ify another quarterback in Sam Darnold, who actually was able to show what he could do last year in Minnesota. 

The ‘Hawks turned some heads by letting their top two wide receivers go, but maybe Cooper Kupp regains his All-Pro level in his return to his home state. 

Seahawk boosters seem to accept mediocrity more than, say, 49ers fans, for some reason. 

When San Francisco struggles, 49ers fans want to get rid of the coach who led them to two Super Bowls and two NFC title games in five seasons. Tough crowd. 

Even Seattle’s vaunted home-field advantage has eroded in recent seasons. 

San Francisco has had the better of Seattle of late, winning six of the last seven. The Seahawks’ win took place last year in Santa Clara, when the 49ers allowed Geno to stroll into the end zone on a scramble play for the go-ahead score. 

Before that, Seattle owned the 49ers during The Great Russell Wilson Era. 

Who knows what will happen today. 

THE 49ERS, meanwhile, are just a year removed from allowing the #$%^&* Chiefs to beat them in the Super Bowl. (The Eagles and the Bucs figured out how to beat the Chiefs by pressuring the heck out of them, but the 49ers decided to play conservative on defense, which worked well enough for them to barely lose at the end.) 

Last year, injuries derailed their season, which tends to happen to the 49ers more than other good teams. At least, it seems that way. 

The Niners dumped some pretty good players after last year, partly to save some money, partly because some of their best players were spending too much time on the sidelines, injured. 

They're going with a lot of younger, hungry, hopefully healthy players in place of some of the “name,” but also oft-injured, players of the past. 

That could mean a return to the playoffs — or the inexperience could result in another losing season. 

Who knows. 

One thing’s for sure — we need CMC and his calf to stay healthy, for starters. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.