Seattle Seahawks (9-8) vs. San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
January 14, 2023 4:30 pm EDT
The Line: San Francisco 49ers -10 / Seattle Seahawks +10; Over/Under: +43.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks do battle Saturday in the NFL NFC Wild Card Round game from Levi’s Stadium. Seattle finished the regular season at 9-8 overall. The Seahawks managed to take the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoffs with that record. As for San Francisco, they went 13-4 this season. The 49ers landed in second place in the postseason standings. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.
Seattle started out the year on a 6-5 run, taking losses to the 49ers, Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers and Raiders along the way. The Seahawks hit a 3-3 stretch from there with wins over the Jets and Rams in their final two games.
In the Rams matchup on Sunday, the Seahawks were down 13-6 going into the second half. Seattle managed to fight back and forced overtime, where they hit a field goal to win 19-16. QB Geno Smith put up 213 yards with a TD and two picks, while Kenneth Walker led the rush on 114 yards.
Over on the 49ers’ side, they started off the year on a shaky 3-4 run with losses to the Bears, Broncos, Falcons and Chiefs. San Francisco has since won 10 straight games over the Rams, Chargers, Cardinals, Saints, Dolphins, Buccaneers, Seahawks, Commanders, Raiders and Cardinals in succession.
Matched up against Arizona on Sunday, the 49ers managed a 21-13 edge by the break. San Francisco outscored the Cardinals 17-0 in the second half and won 38-13. Brock Purdy posted 178 passing yards and three scores. Elijah Mitchell led the rush with 55 yards and two touchdowns.
The Seahawks are 6-2 ATS in their last eight Wild Card games and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 playoff games. Seattle is 1-5 ATS in their last six after a loss.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are 4-0 ATS in their last four Saturday games and 5-0 ATS in their last five at home. San Francisco is 6-1 ATS in their last seven on grass.
PICK: I’m going to stay with the 49ers here. San Francisco is on quite the run, and outside of a few close calls they’ve been quite impressive during this win streak. The last time these teams met wasn’t that long ago: December 15. San Francisco posted just 15 first downs but also collected 381 yards and zero turnovers on the way to a 21-13 road win in that one. The 49ers have scored 33 or more points in five of their last six games and I like them to post a solid total here as well.
Seattle gets credit for powering into the playoffs, however they’ve scored 19 or fewer points in three of their last four games. I don’t think the Seahawks will be able to keep the pace in this one, but it should be a fun matchup to watch.
