Sportsbooks viewed San Francisco as the class of the NFC entering this season, and this team’s 2-3 start has done little to change oddsmakers’ view of Kyle Shanahan’s club.
In fact, at FanDuel, the Niners still have the shortest Super Bowl odds (+700) of any NFC team. And despite Seattle having a better record through five games, the 49ers remain shorter than even money — at least at FD, where they’re -115, while Seattle is +220 — to win the NFC West.
This team has earned its reputation, but it’s not the same offense without Christian McCaffrey, and unless his return his imminent, San Francisco is not going to be winning many games comfortably.
Read more of Newsweek’s NFL Week 6 sports betting preview
That being said, even without McCaffrey, this offense is still scoring 25 points per game. As long as Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Brock Purdy, and star left tackle Trent Williams are on the field, San Francisco is going to be able to score enough to win most games. Those five players have missed a total of just two games this year, but it’s hard to overstate how important their health is to this offense.
Defensively, though, this might not be the same Niners team we’ve become accustomed to in recent years. San Francisco led the Rams 24-14 in the fourth quarter in Week 3, but gave up 13 unanswered points in the final six minutes of a 27-24 loss.
Week 5 brought another loss despite a double-digit lead. This time, San Francisco built a 23-10 cushion at halftime, but failed to score in the second half of a 24-23 loss to the Cardinals. Obviously, the offense shutting down for the final 30 minutes had as much to do with that disappointment as anything, but there’s no denying that this defense is not playing well enough late in games.
Seattle Seahawks Betting News, Analysis
For three weeks, the Seahawks appeared to be firing on all cylinders. They not only started this year 3-0, but did so with solid performances on both sides of the ball against Denver, New England and Miami.
Looking back now, though, the quality of those opponents appears to have played a major role in that 3-0 start. The Broncos have been one of the biggest surprises in the league, but the Patriots and Dolphins are a combined 3-7, and the latter have two of the worst offenses in the league.
Seattle losing to Detroit in Week 4 was understandable (though the ease with which the Lions moved the ball in that 42-29 loss was concerning), but the home loss last Sunday to the Giants as 7-point favorites made it hard to like the Seahawks’ playoff chances.
Injuries to a few key players in the front seven have played a role in the struggles against the run the last few weeks. Still, regardless of the contributing factors involved, the numbers this defense has allowed over the last 120 minutes have been abysmal.
The Lions not only lit Seattle up for 42 points, but also gained 389 yards on just 50 total plays — 7.8 yards (!!) per play overall, including 19 carries for 133 yards on the ground (7 yards per carry).
A week later, against a Giants offense that is averaging 3.9 ypc on the season (even after gashing Seattle from start to finish a week ago), the Seahawks gave up 129 yards on 18 carries to fifth-round rookie RB Tyrone Tracy.
Unfortunately for Seattle, the injuries that have plagued this defense won’t all be healed by kickoff of this game. Three starters — corner Riq Woolen, LB Uchenna Nwosu and DT Byron Murphy II — have already been ruled out. In addition, three other key defensive players (OLBs Derick Hall and Boye Mafe, plus safety Julian Love) are questionable.
49ers vs. Seahawks Prediction, Best Bets
Given the combo of the Seahawks’ recent injuries and defensive struggles, stops are going to be hard to come by for the home team in this game.
The good news for Seattle’s chances of pulling an upset is that Geno Smith has been sharp, completing nearly 72 percent of his passes for an offense that has already faced several quality defenses.
In this game, we don’t feel strongly enough about the spread to give out a play in that market, but we do like the over. We also like the Niners to, if nothing else, start off strong (this team has had a halftime lead of at least a touchdown in four of its first five games) and go over their team total.
Also worth noting: In the past two seasons, San Francisco has beaten Seattle five times, including once in the playoffs. Only one of those Niners wins was a single- digit victory.
49ers vs. Seahawks Best Bets
Over 49 (-110 at bet365) 1 Unit
49ers 1st Half -1.5 (-110 at FanDuel) 1 Unit
49ers Team Total Over 26.5 (-112 at FD)
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