San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks Betting Preview

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have been moving in opposite directions in the NFC West. While the Niners have been surging and moving back into playoff contention, the Seahawks have all but ended their hopes of making it to the postseason this year. In their Week 13 matchup on Sunday, the 49ers enter as 3.5-point favorites as they look to pick up an important road win in a division matchup.

San Francisco 49ers

Last week, the San Francisco 49ers picked up their third straight win when they took down the Minnesota Vikings at home. The Niners answered a lot of criticisms in that game, using their offense to power past Minnesota in a 34-26 victory. That was the third straight game where the Niners scored 30 or more points, which has San Francisco as a trendy pick to make a run in the postseason all of a sudden.

Against the Seahawks, the Niners will have to be precise offensively once again, as they take on a Seattle team that has defended well in spite of their recent run of losses. Jimmy Garoppolo has averaged over eight yards per pass attempt in each of his last five starts. If he can continue to move the ball down the field effectively, the Niners should be able to pick up another critical victory.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle will enter this game against the 49ers on a short week of rest, having played against the Washington Football Team on Monday Night Football this past week. Seattle lost that game 17-15, failing on a two-point conversion in the final moments of the game that would have tied things up. Now the Seahawks are at 3-8 on the season and all but out of playoff contention in the NFC.

If Seattle wants to break their run of six losses in their last seven games, they need more out of Russell Wilson and their offense. The Seahawks have allowed under 24 points in each of their last six games, as the defense has not been their problem. Instead, their woes have been the direct result of a failure to score points, which they will aim to remedy at home here.

Keys to the Game

The biggest key to this game for the Niners will be treating this game like it is still a high-stakes matchup. While the Seahawks have struggled lately, the Niners cannot afford to take them lightly. Given the history between these teams, it is highly unlikely that the Niners will come out flat here, but it can’t be ruled out with a marquee matchup against the Bengals set to follow.

On the Seattle side, offensive execution is the entire key to their game right now. Seattle has scored a combined 28 points in their last three games, which is nowhere near good enough for them if they want to turn this season around. At home, in a do-or-die division game, the Seahawks will have to generate more explosive plays in a hurry.