Do the 49ers pluck the Seahawks on Thanksgiving?
Like a good turkey, NFL football is of course also part of Thanksgiving, and so there are already the first three games of the twelfth matchday on Thursday. Of course, you can find them all at Wettbasis. The top game in the NFC West between the two best franchises in the division will be the sporting finale on the national holiday – and thus shortly before “Black Friday”. Both started the season with big postseason ambitions and have been able to consolidate them over the first eleven weeks. The National Football Conference playoff picture shows that, as things stand, both teams would continue after the regular season. This also brings additional excitement to the already explosive divisional duel at Lumen Field. If you’re looking for upside, you should pick the home side between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, as they are considered the clear underdogs.
It was hard work for Seattle against their rivals from Los Angeles and in the end the visitors lost to the Rams by the narrow margin of 16:17 at SoFi Stadium. Head coach Pete Carroll’s team is now one win behind their upcoming opponents in the division table with six wins and four defeats and can draw level in terms of record in the upcoming clash.
On the other hand, the Niners were once again convincing, winning 27-14 at home against the Buccaneers – and one man secured his place in the franchise history books, but more on that later. Based on their performance, the visitors are also favorites with up to seven points on the markets. Between the Seahawks and 49ers, the Shanahan team’s odds to win settle at just 1.35.
Seattle Seahawks – Statistics & current form
It was a scary moment at the end of the third quarter between Seattle and LA when Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had to leave the field in pain. He was replaced by Drew Lock, who then presented the division rivals with victory on a silver platter with his interception. Smith returned to the field for the final offensive series and led the offense into field goal range, but kicker Myers missed the admittedly difficult field goal from 55 yards. However, his return in the match ensures that the prognosis between the Seahawks and 49ers is that he will be able to start for his team
Statistical room for improvement
This is also necessary, because his brief absence showed just how much this unit depends on him and his play. Over the course of the season, the offense averages 230.8 passing yards and generates an average gain of 96.6 yards on the ground. All in all, that makes for a top-20 offense, which is by no means scary. However, hardly any team in the league has such a strong trio of wide receivers, which Seattle has in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The three wide receivers combined for 127 pass catches for over 1,500 receiving yards and each of them contributed at least two touchdown catches. That this position group will also cause problems for the strong defense that now awaits them is not a particularly bold prediction for the Seahawks vs. 49ers duel. Kenneth Walker III, whose résumé already includes six rushing touchdowns and a catch in the end zone, will probably be missing from the running game, so a lot will depend on rookie Zach Charbonnet. This puts even more focus on the passing game.
One unit that has generated some hype this season has been the Washington State franchise’s defense. Even if the statistics have only reflected this to a limited extent so far, it has great potential and shows it time and again. So far, the talented group has conceded 21.8 points. In the six weeks following the bye week, however, they only conceded more than 20 points twice.
Key Players:
- QB: Geno Smith
- RB: Zach Charbonnet
- WR: DK Metcalf
- TE: Noah Fant
- K: Jason Myers
San Francisco 49ers – stats & current form
Brock Purdy is the man who made NFL history in a Niners uniform last week! The 23-year-old playmaker is the first quarterback in franchise history to post a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in a game in which the ball was thrown at least 20 times. Only Steve Young and Joe Montana achieved a perfect rating in the jersey of the California franchise founded in 1946, although they only threw the ball 12 and 19 times respectively. Purdy is therefore already in a very elite circle
Believe in Brock!
In addition, the second touchdown pass in the game against the Bucs, caught by Brandon Aiyuk, was the longest touchdown reception of the season at 76 yards. Purdy had a strong game in general, completing 21 of his 25 passes for 333 yards. As usual, he set up several targets well and Aiyuk recorded a career-high 156 receiving yards. With those numbers, it’s no surprise that Shanahan’s team has a top-3 offense in yards per game.
This offense can win games in more ways than one. They have a good quarterback who can consistently move his unit downfield and attack the field with vertical passes. In addition, they have an extremely versatile and strong running game thanks to Christian McCaffrey. The large number of playmakers, who probably cannot be controlled by any defense in the long term, is also reflected in the scoring average, which is 27.9. The team put at least 17 points on the scoreboard in every game. They scored more than 26 points seven times and at least 30 points six times.
The impact of the strengthened defense – thanks to the signing of Chase Young – was also visible against Tampa Bay. However, the defense did not dominate as hoped. Against the opponent’s running game, the unit sometimes looked anything but solid. If the opponent’s quarterback doesn’t get enough pressure, there are always gaps for pass receivers. On balance, they are a top 5 defense, but the numbers are somewhat deceptive. But the fact is: The 15.7 points allowed are the best in the NFL!
Key Players:
- QB: Brock Purdy
- RB: Christian McCaffrey
- WR: Brandon Aiyuk
- TE: George Kittle
- K: Jake Moody
Seattle Seahawks – San Francisco 49ers head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Divisional duels mean rivalry and additionally that there are two matches per season. Last season, the teams even met three times, as they also faced each other in the “NFC Wildcard Game”. However, we predict that the upcoming clash at Lumen Field between the Seahawks and 49ers will be much closer than the clash in January 2023, which the Californians won 41:23. The Bay Area franchise recently celebrated three successes in a row against Seattle. The only time the Hawks have lost four in a row against the Niners in their entire history was between 2010 and 2012. Of the 26 home games, they lost just nine
Seattle Seahawks – San Francisco 49ers betting tip
Considering the fact that the home side can line up with the full offensive squad of Smith, Lockett, Metcalf and Smith-Njigba shortly before the start of “Black Friday” in the USA, we do not entirely trust the visitors’ defense.
But we also trust the opposition to be at least as successful. So nothing stands in the way of an entertaining and hard-fought division duel. For us, it is clear that at the end of the day the teams will be separated by no more than one score, which is why – with the help of the handicap on offer – we also favor a bet on the home side in the game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
With so many offensive playmakers on the field, it’s hard to decide which of them will have a successful end zone visit, but we’ll go with Seattle wide receiver DK Metcalf. He’s already scored four touchdowns in eight games against the Californians, and in addition, the Steve Willks defense has already allowed nine touchdown catches to wide receivers.
