On Saturday, January 17, the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round. We try to dive into all of the big games throughout the NFL season and the NFL Playoffs won’t be any different. So keep reading for a 49ers vs. Seahawks betting preview. Also, make sure you head over to our NFL Divisional Round Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch 49ers vs. Seahawks
When: Sunday, January 17 at 8:00 pm ET
Where: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Channel: FOX
49ers vs. Seahawks Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Tuesday, January 13. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Seahawks -375, 49ers +295
Spread: Seahawks -7.5 (-105), 49ers +7.5 (-115)
Total: Over 44.5 (-115), Under 44.5 (-105)
49ers vs. Seahawks Analysis
The 49ers went to Lincoln Financial Field and upset the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, setting up a third meeting with the Seahawks. These teams split wins during the regular season, with both teams winning when playing on the road. However, it’s hard not to feel like Seattle should take care of its home field here — and potentially do so convincingly.
In Week 18, these teams met in San Francisco with the NFC West on the line. Well, Seattle ended up winning that game 13-3, and that was only two weeks ago. In that victory, the Seahawks outgained the 49ers by nearly 200 yards, but they weren’t able to cash in on some of their golden opportunities to score. This time around, I expect Seattle’s offense to be a bit sharper. After all, Sam Darnold and the Seahawks are eighth in the NFL in Dropback EPA per play (0.137) this season, and the 49ers secondary is shaky.
I also don’t see any reason to believe the 49ers offense will light up Mike Macdonald’s defense. The Seahawks didn’t let Brock Purdy and Co. do anything in Week 18, holding him to 127 yards through the air. They also picked him off once. Purdy could be a little better in this game, as he’s a good quarterback and Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive coaches in football. However, San Francisco is light on weapons again. George Kittle tore his Achilles in the win over Philadelphia last week, so he’s going to be out the rest of the year — and a massive chunk of next season. It’s also unclear what Ricky Pearsall will give the 49ers — if he ends up playing.
Let’s not forget that Seattle has the No. 1 defense in the league, ranking first in Rush EPA per play allowed (-0.206) and fifth in Dropback EPA per play allowed (-0.065). This is a ferocious unit at every level of the defense, and San Francisco could also get rattled by the electric atmosphere provided by the 12s.
Shanahan has also struggled in these spots with the 49ers, going 11-18 straight-up and 12-17 against the spread when facing teams with winning percentages of at least 75%.
The Seahawks also come into this game with an extra week of rest and preparation. Since Macdonald took over this Seattle team, the group is 2-0 both SU and ATS when coming off a bye week.
49ers vs. Seahawks Player Props
Lean: Sam Darnold Over 233.5 Passing Yards (-115)
Darnold exceeded the mark for this game in 10 of his 17 outings this season. Of course, two of the games in which he failed to hit 234 yards came against this 49ers defense. He has clearly struggled against this opponent, but the third time could be the charm. Our OptaAI player prop projections have Darnold going for 250.81 passing yards in this game, and I think that’s pretty reasonable. This 49ers secondary can be extremely beatable, which we saw late in the year. Darnold and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak should find a way to dissect the film and figure out what other teams did well.
49ers vs. Seahawks Pick
If I was forced to play a side in this one, I’d lay the points with the Seahawks. I don’t think that what we saw in Week 18 was a fluke, and it feels like the oddsmakers are begging people to take the 49ers after last week’s win over the Eagles. However, I’m not personally going to go through with it. Instead, I’m actually going to parlay the Seahawks with the Hoosiers (in Monday night’s CFP National Championship) at -151 odds.
Lean: Seahawks -7 (-105)
