NFL Betting – San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

The final game of the 2019 NFL regular season boils down to one thing for the San Francisco 49ers: Beat the Seattle Seahawks and they are the No. 1 seed in the NFC throughout the playoffs. And their chances got a boost when Seattle’s vaunted ground game lost its top two backs to injury last week. Enter Beast Mode as the Seahawks’ secret weapon to try and get them the NFC West title, which can be accomplished with a win and some help. The teams played a thriller a few weeks ago in primetime and take center stage once again with the contest flexed to Sunday night.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Date and Time: Sunday, December 29, 2019, 8:20 p.m. ET

Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA

Opening NFL Odds: Pick ‘em, O/U 47

49ers at Seahawks TV Coverage: NBC

Odds Analysis

The game originally hit the board as a toss-up, but injuries to several key Seattle players sent the money flowing in the direction of the Niners moving them to -3 on the NFL betting line. And considering the Seahawks hit the street to bolster their running back position, there’s a good chance the line goes even higher before kickoff. Not only did the Seahawks lose to Arizona last week, they failed to cover as an 8-point favorite dropping them to 0-2-1 ATS in their last three and 7-7-1 overall. They won the first meeting outright as a 6.5-point dog, but this is a different looking team now.

San Francisco 49ers

The Niners clinched their first playoff berth in six seasons a few weeks back and must be salivating about their chances of winning the division and getting the No. 1 seed in the conference. But they have their own issues coming in, especially on defense where the group has been gouged recently. Let’s face it, they were lucky to beat the Rams last week and they’ve gone 2-2 over the last four allowing 31.5 points per game.

Offensively they’ve been able to move the football and put up points, despite the poor play of Jimmy Garoppolo. The Rams did a number on him and if not for a few breakdowns in the secondary they’d still be battling for a playoff spot. Garoppolo completed less than 60 percent of his throws, was intercepted twice and sacked six times. The passing game has become too one-dimensional with George Kittle the only guy seemingly making catches. In the first meeting Garoppolo completed 24 of 46 for 248 yards with a pick and five sacks.

After watching Kenyan Drake go for 166 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks last week, you can bet the Niners will work the ball on the ground. They have the second-best ground game in the league and they also have healthy backs. Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman each have over 530 rushing yards for the season.

Seattle Seahawks

With the NFL’s third-best ground game, the Seahawks like to run the football, too. The only problem is we don’t know who’s going to get the carries. Leading rusher Chris Carson and backup C.J. Prosise went down with injuries last week and Rashaad Penny was already on injured reserve, taking the top three backs and 1,672 yards to the sideline. To fill the void the Seahawks turned to a familiar face, actually two, bringing Marshawn Lynch out of hibernation and signing Robert Turbin. Lynch has been out of the game for over a year and Turbin last played in Week 8 of 2018.

“They look ready,” Russell Wilson said of his two new teammates. They better be because they are likely to see plenty of action on Sunday night. But Pete Carroll said the team will lean on rookie Travis Homer, who has just eight carries this season and averages 6.5 yards per tote. That also means we’ll see more of Wilson. He struggled against the Cards hitting just 16 of 31 for 169 yards, but in the big picture it was a meaningless game.

The defense gets a boost with Jadeveon Clowney saying there’s no way he misses this game. There’s also a good chance Shaquill Griffin returns to strengthen the secondary. There is plenty riding on the outcome for the Seahawks, who can secure the No. 1 seed with a win and some help, so don’t overlook a team that’s been here before.

Bet 49ers at Seahawks at BookMaker.eu

The signs are pointing to the Niners, but they haven’t been in this position before. We’ve watched their defense crumble the last few games and Seattle has a quiet confidence and Russell Wilson. And they might be better with Lynch in the short term. Clowney had his best game in the earlier win over the Niners and he’s rested after few weeks off. Expect him to harass Garoppolo and the Seahawks to spoil SF’s dreams.

NFL Score Prediction: Seattle 27, San Francisco 23

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com