49ers vs. Seahawks prediction: Thursday Night Football picks, odds, bets
On Thursday night, the Seahawks host the 49ers in a pivotal NFC West matchup with potential playoff implications.Both teams enter the matchup looking to bounce back from home losses as big favorites. Let’s dive into the matchup, which is sure to hold significance down the line.As the Seahawks fell behind the Giants on Sunday, they completely abandoned the run game.
They had a 15% early down rushing rate, and Kenneth Walker III finished with just five carries for 19 yards against a beatable run defense.Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke about his desire to rectify that, and I’d expect to see a heavy dose of Walker early against the Seahawks.Geno Smith has had an excellent season in the new Grubb offense, ranking second in the league in passing success rate and 13th in adjusted EPA/play.
That’s even more impressive when you consider the Seahawks rank just 30th in pass-block win rate and have struggled to keep the pocket clean for him.That could become an issue against the 49ers’ sixth-ranked pass-rush unit.In Christian McCaffrey’s absence, Jordan Mason has filled in admirably, ranking second in the NFL with 536 rushing yards.
He could be in for another big game against a Seahawks defensive front dealing with significant injury woes.Uchenna Nwosu, Byron Murphy II and Derick Hall are all in danger of missing this game.
At the same time, cornerback Tariq Woolen is also questionable.Brock Purdy is having a highly efficient season, ranking eighth in adjusted EPA/play and success rate.After some early injury issues in the receiving corps, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle are healthy and ready to attack a Seattle defense whose metrics are declining by the week. The Seahawks ranked as high as second in defensive DVOA earlier in the season, taking advantage of a schedule that included quarterbacks Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett and Skylar Thompson.However, the Lions and Giants have exposed their defense over the last two weeks.One area where the 49er...