Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers: Prediction, Odds, Depth Charts (12/10/23)

The Seattle Seahawks are on the road to face their division rival, the San Francisco 49ers, in a rematch of a Thanksgiving blowout. There are playoff implications here for Seattle, while San Francisco is looking to keep their win streak alive. Check out odds, predictions, and best bets for this NFC West rivalry below.

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco Preview & Prediction

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Prediction & Best Bet: Seahawks +10.5
These two teams squared off in primetime on Thanksgiving, and the 49ers chewed Seattle up and spit them out. The Hawks had zero offensive touchdowns and got outplayed by a versatile 49ers team on defense.

A couple of weeks later, the 49ers are coming off a convincing win over the Eagles that landed Brock Purdy atop the MVP favorites list. San Francisco – now considered the league’s most dominant team – is ranked first in DVOA and offensive DVOA ahead of this week’s matchup. This team is firing on all cylinders and is the current favorite to win Super Bowl XVIII.

Seattle is coming off a loss to the Cowboys, though it was some of their best football of the season. Not only did they put up 35 points against a defense that allowed a combined 37 points in their previous three games, but Geno Smith finally got this Seahawks offense rolling. Smith posted a season-high 91.2 QBR, marked by three touchdown passes, one rushing touchdown, and 334 passing yards. If Seattle starts trending toward playing that level of football, their season could be salvaged.

Seattle’s running game has suffered since the loss of Kenneth Walker in Week 11. He is listed as questionable for this week’s game. His absence was felt tremendously in their Week 12 loss to San Francisco.

The Hawks are in a make-or-break situation, having dropped behind the Rams in the NFC West standings. They are on a three-game losing streak heading into a game against a hot 49ers team, followed by a game versus the Eagles, neither of which will be a walk in the park. At least one win in the next two games is almost vital to their playoff hopes, and they’d likely have to win out after that.

That said, I don’t think this game will be a repeat of Thanksgiving’s performance. Last week, Seattle proved they can compete against top defenses and may have finally found the formula for success in their passing game. With playoff hopes on the line and a few extra days to prepare, Pete Carroll, Geno Smith, and company will find a way to keep this game close against their division rivals.

Seattle is 4-2 ATS on the road and 3-2 ATS as road underdogs. The 49ers are 0-2 ATS with a rest disadvantage. Take Seattle to cover a lofty and perhaps inflated 10.5-point spread.

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Odds

The 49ers are 10.5-point and -550 moneyline favorites over the Seahawks this week. The over/under is 47 points.

Seahawks vs San Francisco Key Injuries

Kenneth Walker is the big question mark in this game. He left Week 11 with an oblique injury and has not returned since. He does get a few extra days of rest this week, coming off a Thursday Night game, so maybe it was enough to get healthy. Either way, the running game hasn’t been the same in the last few weeks, so his presence could be a huge boost there.

Arik Armstead looks to be trending towards sitting out Sunday’s game. Per ESPN, Kyle Shannahan said he would be “surprised” if he plays Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Key Matchups

See below the key matchups and mismatches for the Seahawks vs. 49ers game.

Deebo Samuel vs. Seahawks defense

Deebo Samuel has played nine full games this season. The 49ers are 9-0 in those games. In the two and a half games that he sat out, San Francisco went 0-3. He’s coming off a roaring three-touchdown performance against a solid Eagles secondary.

This week, he has another big challenge as he faces two of the league’s top (and youngest) corners, Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen. Witherspoon is third in the league in passes defended (15), and Woolen is a top-25 defender in terms of completion percentage allowed when targeted (54.4%). Samuel won this battle when they played in Week 12 – can the young guns contain him this time?

Seahawks pass offense vs. 49ers pass defense

Seattle finally showed what their passing game is capable of in their loss to Dallas last week. Geno Smith’s 334-yard game brought the Hawks’ overall pass success rate and DVOA to eighth and 12th in the league, respectively. Last week’s game was a far cry from his performance in Week 12 versus this San Francisco team, so it will be interesting to see if this sticks.

If it does, San Francisco’s sixth-ranked pass defense success rate and third-ranked pass defense DVOA will be a good matchup for Smith and his receivers. Specifically, the matchup between DK Metcalf and Chevarius Ward, who leads the league in passes defended, will be a fun one to watch.

Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart

QB: Geno Smith
RB1: Kenneth Walker
RB2: Zach Charbonnet
LWR: DK Metcalf
RWR: Tyler Lockett
SWR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
TE1: Noah Fant

49ers Depth Chart

QB: Brock Purdy
RB1: Christian McCaffrey
RB2: Elijah Mitchell
LWR: Brandon Aiyuk
RWR: Deebo Samuel
SWR: Jauan Jennings
TE1: George Kittle

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