49ers vs. Seahawks: 5 Week 17 matchups to watch for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers visit the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC West-determining bout in Week 17, and Niner Noise breaks down five matchups you’ll want to watch this contest.
There’s more than just the renewed rivalry on the line in Week 17 between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.
Sunday’s prime-time bout on Sunday Night Football wraps up the 2019 regular season, as there won’t be any Monday Night Football game, and it’s quite the fitting way to cap off what has been a wild ride for both squads.
At 12-3, the Niners are in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the conference and their first NFC West division championship since 2012. But the 11-4 Seahawks have a chance to completely thwart where San Francisco stands in the standings, as a Seattle win would give head coach Pete Carroll’s squad the tiebreaker, the NFC West crown while pushing the 49ers down to the No. 5 seed in the conference.
Needless to say, there’s a lot on the line for this Week 17 bout.
Currently, the Niners sit as three-point favorites for this contest, according to the Action Network. But like any contest, the winner will be determined by a number of key matchups, and there is no shortage of those in this particular game.
Seattle, thanks to a banged-up offensive backfield, brought back running back Marshawn Lynch to help alleviate losses and to reinvigorate the rivalry. That might be an interesting storyline, but the fact Lynch hasn’t played in over a year keeps it off the list of matchups to watch this Sunday.
Instead, fans should be paying attention to these other five matchups between Seattle and San Francisco.