Wild Card Weekend: Seahawks-49ers Spread, Moneyline, Total Game Picks

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Jan 12, 2023

Two NFC division rivals will kick off Wild Card Weekend, with the Seattle Seahawks visiting the San Francisco 49ers.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Seattle Seahawks (+385) vs. San Francisco 49ers (-500) Total: 42.5 (O -108, U -112)

It’s been a banner season for the San Francisco 49ers after having a relatively mediocre start to the campaign. They ended up running away with the NFC West and finished as the number two seed in the conference with a 13-4 record. That doesn’t even factor in that the team was sitting at 3-4 before they went on a ten-game win streak, which is ongoing heading into this matchup. 

The Seahawks had a much different path into the postseason and needed help from Detroit Lions in the last week of the regular season to clinch their playoff position. This was unexpected for a team that traded their franchise quarterback in the offseason.

San Francisco made easy work of the Seahawks in two regular season matchups, winning 27-7 and 21-13. The spread has the 49ers as 9.5-point home favorites, which aligns with those previous matchups. 

Over the 49ers’ last five victories, three have been by double digits. They also finished the year with an impressive 8-1 record at home, which should give them a sizable advantage.

It’s always hard to say a team will win by double-digits in a playoff game, especially against a division rival, but the 49ers are on a different level than the Seahawks. No one will blame you for taking the points with Pete Carroll’s Seahawks, but the 49ers should pull away and finish with a lopsided victory.

Best Bet: 49ers -9.5 (-110)

The offense was a strength for the 49ers, but the bad news for the Seahawks is that their defense is just as lethal. The 49ers ranked in the top five in both categories, which makes the total of 42.5 interesting. The two earlier matchups saw just 34 points scored in both. Oddsmakers are either expecting the Seahawks to contribute more offensively or for the 49ers to lay an even bigger beatdown than many expect. With the weapons that Seattle boasts on offense, there’s a chance that some of their skilled players tally points. Still, that feels unlikely, considering the 49ers have held them a total of 20 points in two matchups. The Seahawks have a strong pass rush, which should make rookie signal caller Brock Purdy uncomfortable in his first career playoff start. It’s hard to avoid targeting the under 42.5. 

Best Bet: Under 42.5 (-112)

Game Pick: 49ers 22, Seahawks 12

Thumbnail photo via Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

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