NFL Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
The NFL Wild Card weekend starts off with an NFC West showdown as the Seattle Seahawks (9-8) take on the San Francisco 49ers (13-4). This game will be played at Levi’s Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 pm ET.
The Seahawks were able to secure their Wild Card spot after beating the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in overtime last weekend and after seeing the Packers lose to the Lions. In the Seahawks’ win, Geno Smith threw for 213 yards and a touchdown, although he also had two interceptions.
For San Francisco, they secured the second seed in the NFC after beating the Arizona Cardinals last weekend 38-13. Brock Purdy threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, while Elijah Mitchell rushed for 55 yards and two scores.
The 49ers are heavy favorites playing at home in this one. They are -520 to win, while the Seahawks’ moneyline sits at +400. The spread features Seattle as 9.5-point underdogs (-110), and the over/under for total points is 42.5.
Seahawks Looking For Major Upset
After trading away franchise quarterback Russell Wilson last offseason, this year seemed destined to be a rebuilding year for the Seattle Seahawks. Behind the solid play of Geno Smith, though, the Seahawks were able to propel themselves to the playoffs and will look to play spoiler as they travel to their division rivals.
Smith led an offense that ranked ninth in scoring this season, averaging 23.9 points per game (26 on the road). In total, he threw for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Smith’s favorite targets were D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Metcalf had 90 receptions for 1,048 yards and six touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Lockett had 84 receptions for 1,033 yards and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, the Seahawks struggled a bit this year. They rank 25th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 23.6 points per game (27.9 on the road).
49ers Look For Trifecta
After outscoring the Seahawks 48-20 in two wins during the regular seasons, the San Francisco 49ers will look for the trifecta as they take on their division foe once again. San Francisco has been on quite the streak, as they have won 10 straight games coming into the playoffs.
A large reason for their success is their defense. They rank tops in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 16.3 points per game (14.8 at home). The defense is led by Fred Warner (130 tackles), Nick Bosa (18.5 sacks), and Tashaun Gipson Sr (five interceptions).
On offense, the team has turned to Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy. After injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy has stepped in admirably. In nine games, he has thrown for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.
Since being acquired earlier in the year, Christian McCaffrey has also been a major weapon for San Francisco. In 11 games, he has 746 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He also has 464 yards receiving and another four scores.
As a unit, the offense ranks sixth in the league in scoring, averaging 26.5 points per game (28 at home).
Take San Francisco To Win And Cover
Looking at the trends, Seattle is just 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games. Looking at previous seasons, the Seahawks are 7-2 in their last nine playing in San Francisco, but these are certainly different teams than in previous years.
As for the 49ers, they are not only 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games overall, but they are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games. Against NFC West teams, the 49ers are undefeated in their last six games.
Brock Purdy will get another test as a rookie quarterback starting his first postseason game. To this point, though, he has passed all of the tests with flying colors, and there is no reason to think he can’t do it again Saturday.
Especially with the top defense in the league, expect the 49ers to control this game throughout. Take them not only to win, but to cover the 9.5 point spread (-110) as well.
