3 bold predictions for 49ers vs Seahawks Wild Card showdown
By Adam Weinrib
The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will kick off Super Wild Card weekend in style, facing off in the first game of Saturday’s action.
At least, we hope they open things in style. Most objective NFL fans aren’t expecting a whole lot from this contest, and 49ers fans would really enjoy it if the rest of the league becomes very disappointed very quickly by a San Francisco blowout. Perfect time to prep the mini hot dogs for the night game!
In terms of mapping out a game plan, there are certainly more unpredictable pairings in Round 1.
Not only have we seen this matchup twice already this season, but we just saw what these very same 49ers, helmed by Brock Purdy, could do in hostile Seahawks territory on Dec. 15.
That was a 21-13 Niners win that wasn’t all that close; a Noah Fant touchdown towards the end of the fourth quarter, which could be labeled “Garbage Time,” closed the gap from 21-6.
It’s no surprise most pundits believe this game could be a wash. Hell, even Seahawks coach Pete Carroll seemed deferential to Kyle Shanahan’s system and DeMeco Ryans’ defense entering Round 3. To get truly bold with pregame predictions requires a bit of excess, considering the rest of the football world are expecting a powerful performance.
Hopefully, we obliged.
3 Bold Predictions for 49ers vs Seahawks on Super Wild Card Weekend
3. Geno Smith Forced to Throw … Again
When these two teams faced off in mid-December, the 49ers defense took full advantage of a limited Kenneth Walker in the Seattle backfield, holding him to 47 yards on 12 carries.
San Francisco’s swarming defense (and the big deficit they encumbered the Seahawks with) resulted in Geno Smith going to the air again … and again … and again, finishing 31-44 with a late touchdown strike.
Expect more of the same this time around. The only wrinkle the Seahawks plan to import is the return of wide receiver Dee Eskridge, a speed demon who hasn’t played since early in the campaign.
Walker and Co. will likely be bottled up once more, as San Francisco’s team defense allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL this past year — 0.8 more per game than the Tennessee Titans, but 14.4 fewer than the third-place Baltimore Ravens. Damn you, Tennessee!
Add in a two-touchdown deficit early (we’re predicting), and you’ll see over 45 Geno Smith pass attempts in this one — presuming he makes it ’til the end of the game.