The (9-8 SU, 7-10 ATS) Seattle Seahawks and the (13-4 SU, 11-6 ATS) San Francisco 49ers are set for an NFC Wild Card battle on Saturday at Levi's Stadium. The Seahawks, 4-3 on the road this season, beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in their regular-season finale. The 49ers, 8-1 at home, defeated Arizona 38-13 last week.
San Francisco beat Seattle 27-7 in Week Two and 21-13 in Week 15. The second victory gave the 49ers their first NFC West title since 2019. Seattle still owns the all-time series lead, 30-19.
Kickoff from Santa Clara, CA, is at 1:30 p.m. PT. The Niners are 9.5-point spread favorites, and the game total is 42 points.
Did the Seahawks overachieve, or have we underestimated them? That is the question that Seattle must answer on Saturday. One way or another, this season has been a success. The Seahawks will benefit from ex-quarterback Russell Wilson's missteps and Denver's miscalculations in the upcoming NFL Draft, selecting in the place of the 5-12 Broncos at fifth overall. The trade for Wilson netted Seattle several players, two first-round picks, two second-rounders, and a fifth-rounder, potentially setting the franchise up for years to come.
Seattle averaged 23.9 points and 351.5 total yards per game this season, including 120.1 rush yards and 231.4 pass yards. The Seahawks converted 37.8 percent of their third downs (20th overall) and 47.2 percent of their red zone visits into touchdowns (fifth-worst).
Geno Smith led the Seahawks' air attack, passing for 4,282 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 11 inter ceptions. His 61.1 QBR was the sixth-highest in the league. Rookie running back Kenneth Walker III paced the ground game, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. The Michigan State product tallied 1,050 rush yards on 228 attempts, plus nine touchdowns.
The fantasy rookie of the year has had quite the season. ?? pic.twitter.com/Sk0DBxR4Sa
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 11, 2023
Seattle's receiving unit was headlined by DK Metcalf (90 receptions for 1,048 yards and six TDs) and Tyler Lockett (84 receptions for 1,033 yards and nine TDs). Tight end Noah Fant also contributed 486 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Linebacker Jordyn Brooks led the team with 161 tackles but won't suit up for Seattle's playoff run after suffering trade for Wilson0 two weeks ago. Defensive backs trade for Wilson1 and trade for Wilson2 combined for ten interceptions, while trade for Wilson3 and trade for Wilson4 paced the pass-rushers with 9.5 sacks apiece.
That's our Ball Hawk. ?? @qdiggs6 pic.twitter.com/itW9zlUDeF
— 12s (@12s) January 11, 2023
The Seahawks defense surrendered 23.6 points and 361.7 total yards per game, including 150.2 rush yards and 211.5 pass yards. Seattle's opponents trade for Wilson5 of their third downs, the sixth-highest percentage, and reached the end zone on 59.6 percent of their red zone trips, the eighth-highest percentage.
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