NFL Playoffs Divisional Round: Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers odds, preview and prediction

Seattle defeated San Francisco 13-3 in Week 18 to clinch the one seed in the NFC and earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. The 49ers had to go to Philadelphia last week but handled business in a 23-19 win and so San Francisco and Seattle meet yet again.

It’s the third career playoff game between these two NFC West rivals. The last came in the Wild Card round in 2023 when the 49ers advanced with a 41-23 win, and the other meeting was the iconic 2014 NFC Championship that saw Seattle win 23-17 and Richard Sherman drop one of the most famous’ post-game interviews of all time. Based off the history of this rivalry alone, the only thing certain about Saturday is this game is going to be must-watch television.

Kickoff at Lumen Field is set for Sunday at 1am GMT, with the Seahawks entering as a 2/7 moneyline favourite and -7.5 on the point spread, with the total at 45.5 on the NFL playoff odds.

NFL Divisional Round Playoffs: 49ers @ Seahawks Point Spread and Betting Analysis

Despite the Week 18 loss versus Seattle, the 49ers stack up well as of late against the Seahawks. Week 1 saw the 49ers head into Seattle and win 17-13 which contributed to San Francisco’s 7-2 record over their last nine meetings with the Seahawks. The 49ers are also 8-2 on the road this season including last week’s playoff win.

Seattle is riding a seven-game win streak and they have gone 12-4 against the spread over their last 16 outings. The Seahawks are 5-0 in their last five home outings but are just 4-4 ATS on home field this season and 1-4 ATS in their last five times hosting the 49ers. Four of the last five 49ers–Seahawks meetings have finished under the total.

At 3/1 odds, the Seahawks are currently Super Bowl favourites. The 49ers have the longest odds available at 20/1.

San Francisco 49ers

Key injuries to this 49ers roster are typically what’s forced unsung heroes to step up this season. Last week’s Wild Card round win at Philadelphia was no different. On defence, Eric Kendricks came in and totalled 10 tackles plus the game-winning pass breakup. On offence, Demarcus Robinson led all pass-catchers with six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk contributed with four catches for 44 yards too. But arguably the biggest moment of the win came when the 49ers called a Jauan Jennings trick play where he delivered a game-changing touchdown strike to Christian McCaffrey. Kyle Shanahan is maximizing the talent on this offence but he’s going to need more out of McCaffrey this week. The veteran RB was held to 48 rushing yards last week and had a season-low 23 versus Seattle two weeks ago.

The 49ers lost tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles, which means Jake Tonges is likely going to have to step up in a big way this Saturday. Tonges has had a big season though with almost 300 receiving yards in six starts. Other big injury news comes on defence, as the team opened the practice window for All-Pro Fred Warner. This doesn’t mean Warner would play this weekend, but could if the 49ers advance. Receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) was limited at Tuesday’s walkthrough after missing the last two games.

Seattle Seahawks

Despite being the one seed in the NFC, there’s still a lot of pressure on the shoulders of quarterback Sam Darnold. The 28-year-old made his playoff debut last season with Minnesota and underdelivered, which has become a common critique when it comes to his big moments. Darnold will have a lot of help this go around though, as the Seahawks offence features the Jaxon Smith-Njigba who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. Running back Kenneth Walker III ended the season strong too with 248 rushing yards over Seattle’s last three outings.

This Seahawks team finished second in the NFL with 28.4 points per game and there’s a legitimate case the unit is the weakest of their three. Defensively, Seattle also finished second with 17.2 points allowed per game and absolutely delivered a statement in their 13-3 win two weeks ago at San Francisco. The unit is strong across the board, coming into this game as a top-ranked run defence and third-down defence. Then there’s the potential X-factor on special teams, Rashid Shaheed. Acquired via trade, Shaheed returned two touchdowns this season.

When it comes to potential injuries, linebacker Demarcus Lawrence (Achilles) and cornerback Riq Woolen (oblique) were limited on Tuesday. Both should play which leads to another strength within this Seahawks team -health.

Prediction: Seahawks 23-20 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks are the current favourites to win Super Bowl LX, ahead of the LA Rams and Buffalo Bills.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.