The Seattle Seahawks are facing one of the best teams in football on four days rest after losing to the Los Angeles Rams after Jason Myers’ missed field goal attempt as time expired in Week 11.

The San Francisco 49ers loom large in the NFC, and the Seahawks are just one game behind Kyle Shanahan’s team, which makes their Thanksgiving meeting on Thursday night even more important to win.

For Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, the opportunity in front of his team isn’t lost on him.

“These guys are loaded,” Carroll said. “When they’re cooking like they have been the last couple of weeks again, they had their three weeks where they took a dip, but when they got back on track in the last couple of weeks, they looked like the team that was playing earlier in the year.”

The 49ers juggernaut looked like a daunting prospect for the NFL, but after their three-game losing streak, the aura of invincibility had dissipated. But since the bye, San Francisco has emerged as the schoolyard bully we know them to be.

Wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars (37-3) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27-14) have seen the 49ers steady the ship.

With so many weapons that can hurt opposing defenses, Carroll knows how difficult it will be to stop them all while hinting at how big of a game it is for his team.

“(Brock) Purdy has done a great job with them in the run-pass game,” Carroll said. “He’s been able to make the big plays, the guys have made the big catches for him. (Christian) McCaffrey is having such a good year and is just an incredible force. He’s right at the centerpiece of everything that they’re doing. It’s just a really difficult team to deal with, but teams have figured it out. They have found them out. They were able to get them. We understand that; they’ve got three losses, and we’ve got four losses. This is a huge opportunity for us.”

Seattle’s preparation for the biggest game of the season hasn’t been ideal, but being in the cozy confines of Lumen Field might tilt things in its favor.

All eyes will be on Geno Smith as he recovers from a tricep injury he picked up in the loss to the Rams, as it would be less than ideal to go into the game without him.