What Russell Wilson does to a defense can’t be replicated.

Certainly not in practice. For example, 49ers backup C.J. Beathard attempted to simulate the Seahawks’ quarterback on the scout team last week — trying to give the defense a sense of Wilson’s scrambling style — and cornerback Richard Sherman said Beathard strained his back in the process.

And Wilson can’t be replicated in another game. The 49ers’ last game was against Arizona rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, undersized and elusive like Wilson, but defensive coordinator Robert Saleh said Murray didn’t provide the challenge Wilson will offer when Seattle visits Levi’s Stadium on Monday night.

“Not that Kyler can’t get there,” Saleh said, “but Russell is just playing at a different level right now.”

No offense, Kyler. It’s quite possible no one is playing better than Wilson.

The 49ers’ longtime nemesis will renew acquaintances Monday at the peak of his powers: Wilson, 31, who leads the league in passer rating (118.2), is a leading NFL MVP candidate and has become the only player since 1970 to have at least 22 touchdown passes with one interception or none through a season’s first nine games.

Asked about Wilson’s performance this season, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll chuckled, “Yeah, he’s doing pretty good,” he said.

And asked about the key to stopping the Seahawks, 49ers pass rusher Dee Ford offered this: “Russell.”

Care to expand? “Russell, Russell,” Ford said.

Monday’s meeting has a host of story lines. The resurgent 49ers (8-0) and Seahawks (7-2), who once formed the league’s fiercest rivalry, have the chance to reinvigorate a stale, one-sided affair in which Seattle has won nine of the past 10 regular-season games.

They will play with both boasting winning records for the first time since 2014 in the 49ers’ biggest game in Levi’s history: The teams’ combined winning percentage (.882) is the third highest in a “Monday Night Football” game played in Week 10 or later in MNF’s 50-season history, according to ESPN.

The game also features Sherman’s latest meeting against his former team, along with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s first start against Seattle.

But the most intriguing plot line is the strength-against-strength matchup: The 49ers’ top-ranked defense, powered by a withering pass rush, against Wilson, who has an unparalleled knack for escaping defenders while turning would-be big losses into big plays.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said QBs generally “live and die” with an improvisational style, but Wilson flourishes much more often than not.

Seahawks (7-2) at 49ers (8-0) When: 5:15 p.m. Monday Where: Levi’s Stadium TV: Channel: 7ESPN Radio: 104.5, 680, 107.7 Spotlight on: K Chase McLaughlin: The game could be decided by a player few 49ers fans had heard of less than a week ago. McLaughlin was signed after kicker Robbie Gould strained his quadriceps in practice Tuesday. Gould is officially doubtful, meaning his duties likely will be handled by McLaughlin, 23, an undrafted rookie from Illinois who served as a four-game injury replacement for the Chargers before he was waived Oct. 29. McLaughlin made 6 of 9 field-goal tries and 7 of 7 extra-point attempts for Los Angeles. He made a 50-yarder, and his misses were from 48, 43 and 42 yards. Injury notes: Seahawks — G Phil Haynes (ankle) and S Delano Hill (elbow), both questionable, are the only players on their injury report. 49ers — TE George Kittle (knee, ankle) is doubtful. 3 THINGS TO WATCH Seattle QB Russell Wilson has a 155.1 passer rating when targeting w ide receiver Tyler Lockett over the past two seasons. Wilson has completed 116 of 142 passes (81.6%) for 1,732 yards with 16 touchdowns and no interceptions on those throws. If Kittle is sidelined, the 49ers will have one player, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, with more than 227 receiving yards this season. Sanders has 504 yards in nine games, the first seven with the Broncos. Wilson has had a passer rating of at least 110.0 in nine straight road games, an NFL record. The 49ers have allowed an opponent passer rating of 41.4 in three home games in 2019. — Eric Branch

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“I haven’t seen that with anybody really consistently over my own career,” Shanahan said. “And he seems to just get better at it and better at it as (he) goes.”

Saleh noted the Seahawks often run two plays on one snap; the second play begins when Wilson flees the pocket. In other words, Seattle’s backyard ball is scripted.

“The way they’ve got that thing dialed in is what makes it very unique and what makes it special,” Saleh said. “They’re just so tied together that it’s very hard to defend.”

Added Saleh of Wilson: “He’s been creating a lot of nightmares lately.”

The 49ers have experienced plenty of migraines through the years: Wilson has thrown 14 touchdown passes and one interception in their past seven meetings.

However, the 49ers haven’t been able to counter with an elite defense during that stretch. Carroll observed that the additions of Ford and rookie edge rusher Nick Bosa have pushed them into the stratosphere.

Bosa (seven sacks), Ford (5.5), Arik Armstead (5.5) and DeForest Buckner (four) have a chance to make the 49ers the first team to have four players record 10-plus sacks in a season since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.

“They’ve always been on the verge of being really good,” Carroll said of the 49ers’ defense. “They’re at their best right now and are really firing on all cylinders.”

However, the defense had its worst performance against the Cardinals and Murray, who was the first elusive QB they’d faced this season. The 49ers allowed season highs in points (25) and yards (357), and Murray’s passer rating (130.7) was the highest against them this season.

Buckner had a humorous postgame description of Murray and he was asked last week whether Wilson was also like a “little squirrel.”

He smiled, shook his head and said, in effect, no one was quite like the man the 49ers will face Monday.

“No, not Russ,” Buckner said. “Not Russ.”

Eric Branch cover the 49ers for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: ebranch@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch