Will the San Francisco 49ers win the football game against the Seattle Seahawks in week 16?

For this week’s “Offsides” article, the game that Frank Benjamin, my friend over at OddsOnBetting, and I decided to write up is one of the best and most exciting upcoming football games of the week. That matchup is the NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers come in to this game with a record of 10 wins 3 losses and 1 tie, and the Seahawks are at 9 and 5 so they are fairly closely matched in terms of records. Looking at their offense rank, the 49ers are ranked 11th overall and 2nd on the ground. The Seahawks are ranked 16th overall and 3rd on the ground. Passing ranks is close also, SF at 26th and Seattle at 27th. Even their defense is a close rank at 2nd for San Francisco and 3rd for the Seahawks.

Seattle has to win this game since they have 4 NFC teams that are only one game out and could easily unseat them from their 5th seed position in the wildcard round. A loss by the Seahawks with a win by 2 of the four teams breathing down their neck could cause them to drop out of the spot and back into the hunt for the last game of the season.

With a win, the Seahawks guarantee a spot in either the 5th or 6th seed spot. This does not mean that San Francisco doesn’t have any incentive to win. They need one more win to take the division title. A win by the 49ers and a loss by Green Bay and they would clinch the first round bye and would guarantee the 1st or 2nd seed spot.

As we get down to the last games of the season the competition has heated up considerably. The schedule this year certainly makes a lot of sense with a number of the division and conference matchups this late in the season making many games in the back stretch being crucial for their playoff positions. This game is very important and we couldn’t have picked a better game to argue.

What do the sportsbooks say about this game, who are they picking and what is the point spread?

That is a good question. I started this article late Monday night, just after watching the Jets lose to the Titans. At the time I started the article Bet Online had the line at San Fracisco as favorites winning by 1 point. A few hours ago they still had the line at even and a few of the other books I check regularly are at even. I will check this line again in the next day or two, and if the line moves I will try and get back in here and update the article at the bottom of the page.

Both of these teams have a bit of momentum coming in to this game. Each of them have won 3 of the last four games they played. With two really great offenses facing off on Sunday, a portion of the burden of gaining control of the game may hinge on how well each opponent’s defenses can stop drives and get their teams’ offenses back on the side of the ball.

The biggest threat on the ground for the Seahawks is running back Marshawn Lynch with 1379 yards this year and 10 touchdowns. On the 49ers side of the ball the threat is Frank Gore. Gore is over 1100 yards and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, so both offenses have explosive backs that have a number of big plays under their belt for the season.

Neither team is ranked very high in defense against the run so each one of them will have their hands full. The main strength that each of them has shown this year has been their game on the ground.

But after San Francisco won last week against the New England Patriots, quarterback Colin Kaepernick showed that he could help his team to victory even after what appeared to be a successful comeback from behind by the Patriots in the 4th quarter, but Kaepernick led 2 successful drives one ending in a touch down and one in a field goal to win the game as the 4th quarter wound down.

With the continued success of the San Francisco quarterback Kaepernick, I think that overall the 49ers are a much more balanced football team. As we head in to the last 2 weeks of the season and into the playoffs, I think the teams that can show the balanced approach, both in the air and on the ground, as well as at least some strength or big play makers on the defense is what it will take to have a successful playoff run and compete in the post season.

I think this approach will help take San Francisco to victory this week. As far as the 49ers covering the spread, Yes, I do believe they could cover a spread up to 3 points making them a safe bet even if the line moves slightly over the next day or so.

Don’t forget that as the season winds down the action at the books also becomes more intense. You need to pay attention and watch for line moves and place your bets early. Besides the bookies we recommend, such as those listed on our other pages and also in the left navigation, take a look at Bet Online. They service players from most countries all over the world and are a great solution for the US bettor. Great signup bonuses for new players too. Visit Today.

 

 

Be sure to visit our friends over at OddsOnBetting to read the opposing view of this week’s football game. Hearing both sides of the story make you more informed and therefore a more intelligent bettor. Why the Seattle Seahawks will win at Home against the San Francisco 49ers.