Seahawks vs. 49ers: A Bettor’s Guide

The Seattle Seahawks’ chances of playing games in January may have been severely damaged last week, but they weren’t completely destroyed. Yet. The long, arduous, and unlikely road to the playoffs begins this Sunday at home against the shell of what used to be the San Francisco 49ers.

While the game last Sunday night played out essentially as expected if you read our preview, winning a bet pales in comparison to the success of the NFL team we root for and feels rather empty. Each week it gets more and more difficult to accept the way one certain segment of the team is holding back the rest, and unfortunately it appears it won’t get better until at least next year.

The train wreck that is San Francisco shambles into town a robust 3-6, though they did manage to not lose their last game two weeks ago against Atlanta. Head coach Super Mario  Ron Jeremy  Doink The Plumber  Jim Tomsula has banked his future on Blaine Gabbert at quarterback, and that’s all you need to know about where this franchise currently stands under the guidance of puppetmaster GM Trent Baalke and meddlesome owner Jed York.

The things we covered in week 5 about the Niners still hold true, so there’s no need to spend a lot of time on them because they’ve gotten no better the second time around. Oh – they traded Vernon Davis away between then and now, so there’s that. This could very well be the week Seattle doesn’t give up a backbreaking touchdown to a tight end in the fourth quarter!

Carlos Hyde remains the only real threat on offen- BREAKING: Hyde unlikely to play on Sunday as he continues to emulate the career of fellow ex-Buckeye Beanie Wells.  That’s not good news for people that have the 49ers in a 33 pool.

The defense still has a few war daddys like Ahmad Brooks, Glenn Dorsey, and Navarro Bowman. They’ll cause enough problems to keep their team in this one for a while because they’re better than Seattle’s offensive linemen. Young guns like Eric Reid, Aaron Lynch and Jaquiski Tartt have been asked to grow up fast and probably do more than what’s reasonable at this point in their career arcs. But the team has no other choice: retirements and free agent defections have forced the kids into the lineup, but it does allow them time to assess each player’s long-term role, if one exists.

San Francisco is a team in transition, no doubt. It’s a shame that the year Seattle can twice take advantage of their struggles is a year that is all but ruined by horrific offensive line play and painful late-game defensive breakdowns.

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Despite Seattle’s struggles, I can see this game really only turning out one way. I’ll go out on a huge limb and assume Seattle’s offense stinks up the joint in the first half but eventually get points on the board after the defense continually thwarts 49er drives and puts them in a position where they have little option but to score.

Gabbert is not going to put together multiple drives down the field that shorten the game and keep San Francisco in it. Even against a team that will undoubtedly play with far less energy than last week.

Seattle will likely be flat after losing such an important contest, coupled with playing a doormat this week. It won’t matter. This will be one of those games that gets people excited again and cause them to wonder if there’s still a chance.

If only Seattle could play a team of this caliber every week. Or, be in the AFC South. Unfortunately, neither is going to happen.

Las Vegas has deemed the 4-5 Seahawks a huge 12.5 point favorite in this game, which seems ludicrous at first glance. It isn’t.

San Francisco is bereft of playmakers, and an extra week off for that coaching staff may only prove to be detrimental to their fortunes. Lay the points with confidence.

Prediction:   Seattle 26, San Francisco 6.

Wager:  100 credits on Seattle -12.5

Year to Date:  -50 credits