San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks Pick

The San Francisco 49ers come to CenturyLink Field on Sunday for a high-stakes week 17 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. The winner of this game will be NFC West champs with a far more-cushy playoff future. San Fran showed a lot of moxie and guts on Saturday with a rousing comeback win over the Rams. With Seattle suffering a puzzling loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, 27-13, they lost the lead in the NFC West, at least for the time being. In week ten, Seattle beat the Niners, 34-31, in a great overtime battle where both teams distinguished themselves. Who will get the upper hand this time around?

Playoff Ramifications

Granted, both teams are already in the playoffs, but within that context, it’s hard to find a game with higher stakes. As it stands now, San Francisco is the top-seed in the NFC. That means a week off for wild card week and home games all the way up to the Super Bowl. A loss dumps them in the 5-seed, and they’ll be on the road for wild card weekend—a bitter pill for a 12-win team to swallow. Seattle is in the 5-seed now, but a win could give them the top seed. So as far as urgency goes, it’s somewhat of a wash. But the stakes are high, as the winner gets a far more-realistic path to potential glory.

Why Seattle Might Be Sagging

The loss to Arizona was curious, but in their third straight road game at a time of the season when teams are battling weariness, it proved to be a little too much. A look at their schedule shows a super-tough patch of games, and while they held up well, the wheels might be coming off at the most inopportune time. Two losses in their last three games with an offense slowing down and a defense that is infinitely more-exploitable hasn’t been a good look. On Sunday, they lost Chris Carson for the season, also seeing CJ Prosise suffer the same unlikely fate. With Rashaad Penny on IR, they are now thin at the very thing they need to thrive—the running game. Suffice to say; they’re not in an ideal spot right now. They already brought in former Seattle back Robert Turbin, and the word is that “Beast Mode” is making a comeback. As much of a sentimental boost as they might be, the injuries have cost them.

It’s also important to not take the story and run with it without first reflecting on the wherewithal and character of this Seattle team. All season long, they managed to play over their heads. Russell Wilson is still a guy who can make things happen when the situation looks bleak. This is a team that has manufactured a lot of success in the face of many naysayers. Their recent road woes shouldn’t detract from what they may be able to do now at home in a game that should have this crowd in a frenzied state.

San Fran in Better Shape?

The win on Saturday was a significant development for a team that was on an unexceptional 3-3 stretch after their 8-0 start. Incidentally, their first loss came against this team. Seeing Jimmy Garoppolo come up with the same late-game magic was great for his confidence, as well as the team’s prospects moving forward in a deep NFC playoff picture. But did the nature of the win shield us from some harsher realities? Where was San Fran’s defense, as the Rams marched up and down the field?

The point is that maybe San Francisco isn’t exactly a peaking entity right now, either. So, as we bemoan Seattle’s state-of-affairs heading into week 17, let’s also acknowledge a Frisco squad that has played with a wide range of form over the last month-plus. At the very least, they are a bit deflated from their early season form. Losing to the Ravens by just three and beating the Saints on the road says one thing. Losing to Atlanta at home and needing late-game dramatics to beat the letdown team of the season in the Rams says another.