Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers 01/14/2023 NFL Preview and Prediction

The 7th-seeded Seattle Seahawks visit the no. 2 ranked San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night as the NFL’s playoffs begin.

This marks the third meeting between these two teams with the 49ers winning outright and covering the spread in their first two meetings of the year. Prior to this season, however, the Seahawks won four in a row against the 49ers while covering the spread three times during that span.

Seattle sealed its Wild Card spot by beating the Los Angeles Rams last week and got help from the Detroit Lions who knocked out the Green Bay Packers from contention. Meanwhile, the 49ers are the hottest team in the NFL with 10 consecutive wins, including their last 5 with third-stringer Brock Purdy at the helm.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle needed two things to happen last week to make the playoffs. First, they had to beat the Los Angeles Rams, and second, they needed the Detroit Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers. Well, both happened and the Seahawks are back in the postseason for the first time since 2020.

Geno Smith completed 19-31 passes for 214 yards while running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 114 yards to lead the Seahawks against the Rams. That performance capped off a year where Smith set single-season records for passing yards (4,282), completions (399), and pass attempts (572). Smith threw for 238 yards in his last game against San Francisco last December 15th but the team only produced 70 rushing yards and lost 21-13.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers’ winning streak hit double digits last week when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-13. San Francisco ended the season with 10 consecutive wins, including the last five with Brock Purdy as their starter. Purdy is the 49ers’ third starter this year after both Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garropolo ended up on the injured list.

While Purdy has been good, Christian McCaffrey has been excellent since coming over from the Panthers. McCaffrey has 746 rushing yards with 6 rush TDs while also catching 464 receiving yards and 4 TD grabs. Brandon Aiyuk leads the team with 78 catches for 1,015 yards with 8 TDs while George Kittle has caught 60 passes for 765 yards and 11 TD catches.

Seahawks vs 49ers SU Prediction

The Seahawks are 15-4 SU in their last 19 games played against the 49ers. Seattle is 7-2 SU in their last 9 games played in San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks SU trends:

• The Seahawks are 3-5 SU in their last 8 games played.
• The Seahawks are 4-4 SU in their 8 road games played this season.
• The Seahawks are 6-6 SU in 12 games against the NFC this season.
• The Seahawks are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played against the NFC West Division.

San Francisco 49ers SU trends:

• The 49ers are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games played.
• The 49ers are 8-1 SU in their last 9 games played at home.
• The 49ers are 6-0 SU in their last 6 games played against the NFC West Division.
• The 49ers are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games played against the NFC.

The Seahawks are in the playoffs for the first time since they won their division in 2020. However, it was not easy. They needed to beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in OT in their season finale and needed the Detroit Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers to make it.

Geno Smith, one of the leading contenders to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award, was the catalyst for the Seahawks win over the Rams. Smith threw the key touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett in the third quarter and led two scoring drives that ended in field goals by kicker Jason Myers who made four field goals in the game but missed one that could have won the game in regulation.

San Francisco QB Brock Purdy was impressive in his first road start against the Seahawks in Week 15. One week before that, he became the first QB making his first NFL start to beat Tom Brady.

The 7th-round pick out of Iowa State and the final player taken in the 2022 NFL Draft has shown tremendous poise and maturity since taking over from Jimmy Garoppolo, who may be cleared to play at some point during the postseason. For now, the 49ers are Purdy’s team and he has amassed 1,374 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions in 9 total games played, including 5 starts.

Smith broke Russell Wilson’s Seahawks’ single-season record for passing yards and his 30 TDs rank 4th in the entire league. More importantly, he has thrown only 11 INTs on 572 pass attempts, and only one INT in two games against the 49ers. If the Seahawks want to win, then Smith has to play well.

Meanwhile, the 49ers are humming like a well-oiled machine even with Purdy running the show. Christian McCaffrey continues to play well for the 49ers and he has been huge since coming over from Carolina. With fellow RB Elijah Mitchell and WR Deebo Samuel also contributing, it will be hard to stop the San Francisco offense. If the 49ers’ defense lives up to its billing, this one should be a win for the Niners.

Prediction: San Francisco 49ers

Seahawks vs 49ers ATS Prediction

The Seahawks are 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games played against the 49ers. Seattle is 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played in San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks ATS trends:

• The Seahawks are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
• The Seahawks are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Wildcard games.
• The Seahawks are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 playoff games.
• The Seahawks are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 games following a straight-up win.
• The Seahawks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
• The Seahawks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
• The Seahawks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS loss
• The Seahawks are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
• The Seahawks are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 versus the NFC.

San Francisco 49ers ATS trends:

• The 49ers are 21-8 ATS in their last 29 games overall.
• The 49ers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.
• The 49ers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game.
• The 49ers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Saturday games.
• The 49ers are 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games against the NFC West.
• The 49ers are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight-up win.
• The 49ers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
• The 49ers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games on grass.
• The 49ers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.
• The 49ers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win
• The 49ers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff games.
• The 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
• The 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.
• The 49ers are 8-2 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
• The 49ers are 18-5 ATS in their last 23 games in January.
• The 49ers are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 versus the NFC.
• The 49ers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

These two teams are too familiar with each other that I don’t think one will be able to blow out the other. These teams played less than a month ago in Seattle with the 49ers winning by just 8 points at 21-13. Geno Smith threw for 238 yards in that game but the Seahawks rushed for only 70 yards. If Seattle can get Kenneth Walker III going here, and let Geno Smith do his thing, this won’t be an easy win for the 49ers.

Sure, the 49ers are red hot and they have a terrific defensive unit. However, I think the familiarity between these two teams will be the key here. I expect the 49ers to win this game but I will have to take the plus points and the Seahawks here.

Prediction: Seahawks +9.5

Seahawks vs 49ers Over/Under Prediction

The over is 6-3-1 in the last 10 games played between the Seahawks and 49ers. The under is 6-4 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings in San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks over/under trends:

• The under is 4-0 in the Seahawks’ last 4 games overall.
• The under is 4-0 in the Seahawks’ last 4 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game
• The under is 4-0 in the Seahawks’ last 4 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
• The under is 4-1 in the Seahawks’ last 5 road games versus a team with a winning home record.
• The under is 6-2 in the Seahawks’ last 8 games on grass.
• The under is 12-4 in the Seahawks’ last 16 games against a team with a winning record.
• The under is 5-2 in the Seahawks’ last 7 games after allowing less than 150 yards passing in their previous game.
• The over is 5-2 in the Seahawks’ last 7 Saturday games.
• The over is 5-2 in the Seahawks’ last 7 games in January.
• The over is 5-2 in the Seahawks’ last 7 road games.
• The over is 4-1 in the Seahawks’ last 5 playoff games.
• The over is 4-1 in the Seahawks’ last 5 playoff road games.

San Francisco 49ers over/under trends:

• The over is 5-1 in the 49ers’ last 6 games overall.
• The over is 4-0 in the 49ers’ last 4 home games.
• The over is 5-0 in the 49ers’ last 5 games on grass.
• The over is 5-1 in the 49ers’ last 6 games following a straight-up win.
• The over is 4-1 in the 49ers’ last 5 games after allowing less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
• The over is 4-1 in the 49ers’ last 5 games following an ATS win.
• The over is 5-2 in the 49ers’ last 7 games versus the NFC.
• The over is 5-2 in the 49ers’ last 7 playoff home games.
• The under is 7-2 in the 49ers’ last 9 games against a team with a winning record.
• The under is 5-2 in the 49ers’ last 7 games after accumulating less than 150 yards passing in their previous game
• The under is 4-0 in the 49ers’ last 4 playoff games.

The 49ers are on a roll right now with Purdy at the helm. San Francisco has put up at least 33 points in five out of the six games played without Jimmy Garropolo. During that stretch, Purdy has completed 110-161 passes for 1,308 yards with 13 TDs. Two weeks ago, it was McCaffrey who did the damage.

I expect the 49ers to do more of the same as they rank in the Top 10 in pass attempts and rushing yards. However, the Seahawks will look to run the football as it will give them the best chance of winning this game. The total went under the last time out with these teams combining for 34 points. I expect a similar game here.

Prediction: Under 42

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