3 reasons why SF 49ers go on hot streak after Week 11 bye
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: SF 49ers’ regular-season finale vs. Seahawks
There’s a good chance the Niners’ dim-but-alive playoff hopes live or die with what happens in Week 17, and the Seahawks are surely going to want to repay their archrivals for what happened in Week 17 at CenturyLink Field a year ago where San Francisco secured the No. 1 overall playoff seed and ensured Seattle would stay in second place within the NFC West.
San Francisco 49ers
Having lost three of their last five games, now sitting at the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture, the Seahawks don’t quite look as the juggernaut team they were over the first six weeks of the regular season.
Seattle’s defense, in particular, has been hit hard by injuries. Quarterback Russell Wilson also hasn’t looked like his MVP-caliber self during the cold streak, including a zero-touchdown and two-interception performance against the Rams in Week 10 before holding on for the win against Arizona on Thursday Night Football in Week 11
Are the Seahawks in trouble? Perhaps.
Injuries have played a major role, too, just like San Francisco. But it would appear as if the opposite trend is happening, where Seattle is losing players at the wrong time instead of getting them back.
Granted, an easy slate of three games against the lowly NFC East, along with another against the hapless NY Jets, probably puts Seahawks in the postseason.
Potentially, with nothing more to gain as the playoff picture rounds out, Seattle might elect to rest starters in Week 17, giving the Niners a better chance.
Next. 3 Niners who should be benched after Week 10 loss to Saints. dark
Or the SF 49ers simply win the divisional showdown to cap off the regular season because they’ll have no other choice. That seems to be a favorable outcome.