After playing the Seattle Seahawks a number of times with Earl Thomas on the roster, the San Francisco 49ers have come to this conclusion: Don’t throw anywhere near him.

They put that conclusion into play this past Sunday during San Francisco’s 19-17 win over Seattle. As reported by the Associated Press, the 49ers stayed away from the center field. Completely away.

What San Francisco did against Seattle was different. They decided not to test Thomas across the middle in the pass game and tried to get a body on him blocking in the run game. According to STATS, Inc., San Francisco did not target a pass across the middle of the field against the Seahawks. The 49ers mostly worked the sidelines with the pass game and tried to stay away from Thomas.

It was the second time this season an opponent chose not to attack the middle of Seattle’s defense. Carolina also did in the season opener.

Moreover, San Francisco also opted to send players downfield to block against Earl in the run game — a first for No. 29.

“They were sending receivers to the third level for free safety crack blocks. You never see that,” Thomas said. “It caught me off guard but after the game I looked at it like a sign of respect and I’ve got to add that to my repertoire of how offenses want to take me out of the game.”

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