The Seattle Seahawks have only lost a single game this year and sit in first place in the NFC West, but are already in a precarious position and face a virtual must-win game versus the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are the reigning conference champions and have won their last two games, but have hardly played like one this season. The Super Bowl hangover is clearly affecting the team. After losing only three games all year in 2019, the Niners have matched their loss total as they sit at 4-3 and last place in the division.
Injuries have hamstrung the 49ers’ efforts to remain conference heavyweights, especially along their vaunted defensive line to Solomon Thomas and Nick Bosa, who left with season-ending injuries in Week 2. Other Niners are banged up, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who has missed playing time due to an ankle injury.
Unfortunately, the Niners won’t be the only team limping into Sunday’s game, as the Seahawks are almost equally banged up.
Defensive back Shaquill Griffin is out, the top three running backs are all game-time decisions, and Benson Mayowa, Ryan Neal and star safety Jamal Adams are all questionable as well.
Russell Wilson may have an NFL-best record since 2012 of 31-8 following a loss, but will it be enough to overcome the Niners by himself?
Prediction: 49ers over Seahawks 21-13
Dating back to last year, the Seattle Seahawks have lost four straight NFC West games, and have surrendered an astonishing 118 points in these defeats. Suddenly the Seahawks find themselves in a position where they can’t seem to win division games, which is an unfortunate predicament in the best division in the NFL.
San Francisco may be injured, especially on defense, but is are making it work better than the Seahawks are currently. The Niners are coming off two convincing upset victories, including last week’s rout of the Patriots to the tune of 33-6 – the same Patriots team which scored 30 on the Seahawks with ease in Week 2.
The Seahawks offense has been red hot all year, but as great as it’s been, the offense runs the risk of becoming very one dimensional as Seattle’s top three running backs are all game-time decisions. Ironically, the Seahawks played the Niners at home without their top three running backs last year following another injury-laden, disappointing loss to the Cardinals.
Even without Thomas and Bosa, the Niners defensive line still can cause problems. San Francisco’s elite ground game should be able to take advantage of Seattle’s depleted defense, just like Minnesota and Arizona were able to do in the last two games.
San Francisco doesn’t have to be special to pull off a third straight upset, just grind the clock down and keep Wilson off the field. With Seattle’s defense, this shouldn’t be a difficult task.
