The 2023 NFL postseason Wild Card games are kicking off this Saturday afternoon, with an NFC West divisional showdown between the San Francisco 49ers VS Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle stole a last-minute qualification as the third wild card, all thanks to the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions who beat the Greenbay Packers last Sunday night and eliminated them from the competition.
On the other hand, San Francisco put up a good fight till the last minute to secure the best record in the National Conference and finished champion of its division.
Remember, the 49ers and Seahawks are division rivals who met a few times during the regular round. San Francisco won twice.
Without wasting any more time, MatchPlug brings you the best NFL Predictions this week for this intriguing matchup between the 49ers and the Seahawks.
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Predictions and Betting Preview for San Francisco 49ers VS Seattle Seahawks NFC Wild Card Game
- Venue: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California.
- When: Saturday, January 14, 2023
- Time: 13:30 GMT
- Teams to play: San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks
- NFL Picks:
Odds provided by 1XBet and BetMGM.
Betting On The San Francisco 49ers
- Regular Season Record: 13-4 (NFC West Champion – 2nd seed NFC)
- BetMGM Spread: -9.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 1.20
- BetMGM Over/Under: Under 42
- 1XBet Spread: -9.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 1.21
- 1XBet Over/Under: Under 41.5
San Francisco is a force to be reckoned with in the NFL. In addition to having strong talent in their squad, they have proven themselves to be responsive by powering through two painful quarterback injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, to become one of the league’s best teams.
On the teams’ offensive side, Christian McCaffrey’s arrival signified a before and after in the championship. Since they had this astounding running back in their lines, the dynamism of their offense has become fearsome. McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle served as an excellent outlet for Brock Purdy to smoothly take over the leadership of the offense.
The 49ers ranked 6th in points scored, with 450 and 5th in total yards with 6.216. They lost 17 fumbles which is the 3rd lowest number in the league. Using passes, they finished 3rd in average net yards per pass, and 4th in touchdown passes.
On the ground, they also dominated, scoring 20 times, the 5th best figure in the league. San Francisco also ranked 8th in total yards and 10th in average yards per carry.
Besides having an impeccable offensive performance, the 49ers also have the best defense in the NFL.
This team was first in fewest points allowed (277), fewest total yards allowed (5.110) and, most interceptions gained (20).
They finished second in fumbles recovered (30), fewest first downs conceded (291), total rushing yards (1.321), and average yards per carry (3.4). To sum it up, they also received the 5th lowest number of passing touchdowns with 20, and the 9th lowest share of touchdowns with 11.
Betting On The Seattle Seahawks
- Regular Season Record: 9-8 (3rd wild card – 7th NFC seed)
- BetMGM Spread: +9.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 4.75
- BetMGM Over/Under: Over 42
- 1XBet Spread: +9.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 4.42
- 1XBet Over/Under: Over 41.5
Seattle can be referred to as the postseason’s biggest surprise, especially after factors like projections and analysis before the regular round positioned them as one of the league’s worst teams, following Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner’s departure.
The Seahawks’ management made some interesting changes, with the support of Geno Smith who took over as starting quarterback and did not disappoint. In spite of the slip in recent weeks, this team placed themselves as one of the most terrifying offenses in the NFL, and this performance is mainly responsible for their ranking.
Using 407 points, the squad finished as the 9th highest scoring team, their 30 TD passes are the 4th highest total in the NFL. Seahawks also finished as one of the top 10 teams with the best average in total passing yards and net yards gained per pass. On the ground, despite not having much end zone strength, they finished with the 7th best average in yards per carry with 4.8.
Although Seattle’s offense dominated, their defense was a constant source of headache to them. Most of the leverage brought by the offense, where immediately shot down because of the defense’s problems.
This team were the 4th team that gave up the most points during the year with 401 points. On the ground, they allowed 2,455 yards, the third-highest figure in the league, and also 21 touchdowns, the 5th highest amount in the NFL.
They tried to fix this problem with passes, but it wasn’t enough to avoid their ranking as the 8th team with the lowest efficiency in the red zone, allowing TDS in 59.6% of the opponent’s visits.
MatchPlug Prediction
While the Seahawks had a good season, their winning this Saturday is dependent on San Francisco fumbling in the matchup. In the two games they played during the regular round, the 49ers’ defense played with Seattle’s impenetrable offense.
In both games, Seattle was not able to pass 280 total yards, and the team scored only 20 points.
Considering the fact that Seahawks’ offense concluded the campaign with lots of problems, and San Francisco’s defense did not allow more than 20 points in 9 out of their last 10 games, Pete Carroll and the rest of the team have their work cut out for them.
The 49ers’ Brock Purdy, on the other hand, will rely heavily on Christian McCaffrey to bring pain to Seattle’s defense, which was one of the worst on rushing, and conceded over 170 rushing yards in the two games it played against San Francisco.
Bettors can head over to BetMGM or 1XBet to view the NFL Picks for free surrounding San Francisco VS Seattle.
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