Well, so much for repeating as NFC West champs.
After Week 10’s humbling loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks now find themselves searching for solutions to their season-on-the-rocks. Luckily for them, the San Francisco 49ers next on the slate, and they’ve pretty much owned their rivals from the Bay Area of late.
However, the Niners – at least for one game – have been revitalized by backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert (of all people) with a solid Week 9 win over Atlanta before their bye week. But is Gabbert really the savior of San Francisco’s forsaken 2015 season?
Read on as we try to sort out all the clutter and drama stemming from this West Coast showdown set for next Sunday afternoon. And to keep your tabs on the rest of the NFL’s top-bill divisional games on tap, check out our previews for Buffalo vs. New England and Green Bay vs. Minnesota right after this.
[sc:Football ]San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks Preview
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
When: Sunday, November 22, 4:25 PM ET
Line: San Francisco 49ers (+12) at Seattle Seahawks (-12); total: 41.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the San Francisco 49ers (3-6)
[sc:NFL240banner ]The San Francisco 49ers could not have asked for a better result from their Week 9 meeting against the Atlanta Falcons before heading into the bye. The Niners escaped with a 17-16 victory over the Falcons, and they even did it with *gasp* Blaine Gabbert as their starting quarterback.
Gabbert, who entered that match on a 10-game losing streak dating back to when he was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ starting QB, snapped out of his dormant funk with little to no resources at his disposal. With tight end Vernon Davis now playing for Denver, and with running back Carlos Hyde and top wideout Anquan Boldin both out due to injuries, Gabbert threw for two touchdowns against Atlanta to also break his personal two-game TD-less streak.
But it wasn’t as if the first-round bust was suddenly an offensive whiz overnight. Gabbert converted just 15 of his 25 passes in the win, and even threw two costly picks. Should his weapons in Hyde and Boldin have recovered well during the week off, he could possibly have an even better outing this coming Sunday. San Francisco certainly needs all the offense it could get, as the team is still the worst in the league in points per game (14.0), and second-worst in offensive yards per contest (181.6).
At least the defense is showing a little more life, as the Niners’ front seven limited Devonta Freeman and the rest of the Falcons to just 17 total rushing yards in Week 9. That should be a good sign heading into Sunday’s clash with the run-heavy Seahawks, who are still within the top five of the league’s best rushing attacks this season.
The team better prepare for its division rival indeed, as San Francisco has lost its last four games played in Seattle, with the total going under in all of those contests.
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Betting on the Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
Leave it to the Arizona Cardinals to hush the hostile Seattle crowd and deal the Seahawks another crushing blow to their now slowly-fading playoff hopes for the season.
Seattle could not hang on to its late fourth quarter lead, ultimately losing to the Cards, 39-32, on Sunday night. With the defeat, the Seahawks are once again below the .500 mark and are in grave danger of missing the postseason, especially given Arizona’s now three-game lead over the NFC West’s standings.
What does Russell Wilson need to do to regain his winning form from the past couple of years? He had another disappointing showing in the loss, completing just 14 of his 32 passes for 240 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
At least Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin got his act together. Baldwin was by far the team’s most productive receiver of the day with his seven receptions for 134 yards, and was also the recipient of Wilson’s lone TD pass of the game. But where was Jimmy Graham (just three catches on eight targets for 41 yards) for Seattle’s offense?
It’s also not very promising when Wilson himself, who had 52 rushing yards, outgained starting back Marshawn Lynch (eight carries for 42 yards) on the ground. The Seahawks’ offense is in total dysfunction right now, but the cure to their ailing O could come as early as next Sunday.
Seattle has won six of its last seven contests against the Niners, and went an even better 7-0 against the spread in that span. And at least the Seahawks generated three turnovers against the Cards on Sunday, as they only had eight takeaways for the season prior to that.
It’s time to start creating those crucial turnovers once again, as San Francisco has only surrendered nine gimmes this season – good enough to be tied for fourth-best in the NFL when it comes to ball protection.
Writer’s Prediction
Seattle’s downward spiral hits a new low as they fall to the Niners (+12), 21-19.
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