Point Spread and Predictions
Per the consensus line at SportsBookReview.com, the Seahawks are currently favored by 14 points over the 49ers, with an over/under of 42 points, for an implied score of 28-14 Seahawks.
The line opened at a 13-point advantage for the Seahawks, moved down a bit after the Packers game, and has crept up since the beginning of the week; currently, it is the largest line of this week’s NFL slate.
Vegas may have already decided on the outcome of this game, but color commentator Cris Collinsworth is having none of it, predicting the 49ers will defeat the Seahawks on Sunday:
Week 2 NFL picks by the PFF team! pic.twitter.com/29jk8n26sO
— PFF (@PFF) September 13, 2017
I’m not quite as optimistic as Collinsworth, especially considering the fact that the 49ers haven’t scored 20 or more points in Seattle in over nine years:
9 years ago today was the last time the #49ers scored 20 points in Seattle. Solomon Thomas was in 7th grade.
— Chris Wilson (@cgawilson) September 15, 2017
For the 49ers to win this game, they will need to dominate the Seahawks’ offensive line, and create turnovers — and then convert those turnovers into touchdowns.
But if the 49ers blitz heavily, they won’t have Foster to protect against Wilson breaking containment or dumping the ball off to one of his receiving backs. I expect the Niners to blitz, but to choose their battles, and mostly rely on their defensive line for quarterback pressure.
Next: Analyzing Kyle Shanahan's Fourth Down Decisions
More likely than not, this will be a game for moral — and not actual — victory for the San Francisco 49ers.