The Seahawks can kiss the division goodbye with a 49ers win
And now the NFL and NFC gets fun. The San Francisco 49ers have just returned from making their statement against the Philadelphia Eagles and will now host the Seattle Seahawks in their second matchup in three weeks. Both teams are going to need a win; the 49ers so they can keep pace and maybe snatch No. 1 seeding from the Eagles, and the Seahawks because they are on a three-game skid. This will be an afternoon game. Kevin Burkhardt will be calling it and Greg Olsen will be providing commentary.
The 49ers are now talked about as the best team in the NFL after dominating the Philadelphia Eagles 42-19. They have a different type of test with an old foe coming to town in the Seattle Seahawks. Had the Los Angeles Rams won last week, the 49ers could wrap up the NFC West with a win this weekend, since that didn’t happen, the 49ers can only eliminate the Seahawks from divisional contention with a win today. Two weeks ago they managed to dominate the Seahawks in Seattle and there’s little to suggest the same can’t happen here.
The Seahawks haven’t had a good few weeks. Following the aforementioned San Francisco beat-down, they managed to help give us one of the more entertaining Thursday Night Football games of the season in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Now on a three-game losing streak, the Seahawks’ backs are against the wall. They currently are out of the post season with the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers owning the tiebreakers to the wild card. Considering their entire season might be on the line, they will be coming into this game with their hair on fire. The problem is, it’s an away game and they have issues.
The NFC West is pretty much the 49ers’ and it would take an unprecedented meltdown for them to give that up, it’s just a matter of time.
The 49ers are going to be dealing with some injuries. Defensive lineman Arik Armstead (knee and foot) will not be playing, which means Javon Kinlaw will be getting a start in his place. Right guard Spencer Burford will also be out which means Jon Feliciano will be getting the starting nod. Elijah Mitchell is also out for this. Wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud went on IR and 49ers elevated Chris Conley to the main roster.
The Seahawks have their own issues. Frank Clark is out for non-injury related reasons. There also is a good chance quarterback Geno Smith is out due to a groin issue. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has indicated that’s a gametime decision. The Seahawks elevated QB Sean Mannion from the practice squad. Running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet were elevated to limited. Walker missed the first 49ers game and was sorely missed.
On the gambling side of things, the 49ers are favored by 13.5 points. The number started at 11 and creeped up to where it is following the Seahawks injury issues coming out, especially at quarterback. The Seahawks always play the 49ers hard, but they have never managed to beat Brock Purdy. With that spread, the 49ers would need a disaster only Seahawks weirdness can provide.
Date: Sunday, December 10th, 2023
Kickoff: 1:05 PM PST, 4:05 PM EST
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara CA
Network: Fox
Play-by-Play: Kevin Burkhardt
Color Analyst: Greg Olsen
SB Nation Affiliate: Field Gulls
Odds: 49ers at -13.5
Total: 46
For more betting information, please visit DraftKings Sportsbook.