Thursday Night Football: San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks Preview & Predictions

 

Week 15 of another crazy NFL season is on the horizon, and to kick it off, we got a marvelous NFC West matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks.

The 49ers (9-4) can clinch the NFC West with a victory over their heated rivals on Thursday Night. San Francisco has not won the division since 2019 (when they finished 13-3 and made an appearance in Super Bowl LIV).

Meanwhile, the Seahawks (7-6) have lost three out of their last four games after a 6-3 start, and currently sit just outside of the NFC playoff picture (half a game behind the Giants and the Commanders in the wildcard race).

Here are a couple of X-factors for tomorrow's huge game and a prediction of who will come out victorious.

X-Factor #1: Seahawks offensive line vs 49ers defensive line

Back in Week 2, the 49ers defeated the Seahawks by a score of 27-7. The team from the Bay Area completely dominated the Seattle in every facet of the game, as they owned time of possession (38 minutes compared to 21 for Seattle), forced three turnovers (one fumble and two interceptions), and gained more yards (373 for San Francisco compared to 216 for the Seahawks). A big reason why the Hawks were held to just 7 points was because they got overwhelmed in the trenches. The 49ers have arguably the best defensive line in football, captained by Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa (14.5 sacks). And in that Week 2 meeting, the Niners front seven got after Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, as they sacked him two times (both by Bosa) and hit him nine times. It's fairly safe to say that if the Seahawks want to snag a victory this time around, the play from their offensive line will have to be much better. 

X-Factor #2: Christian McCaffrey vs Seahawks run defence

The 49ers made a risky move by trading for star running back Christian McCaffrey back in October. McCaffrey has been a stud ever since he entered the league in 2017, but he only played 10 games combined during the 2020 and 2021 seasons after suffering numerous injuries on the field. Fortunately for the Niners, the move has payed off big time as McCaffrey has managed to stay healthy and perform at an elite level (742 total yards and 7 total touchdowns since being traded to San Francisco). Meanwhile, the Seahawks have one of the worst run defences in the entire NFL, as they've allowed an average of 160.5 rushing yards per game (31st). This seems like a huge mismatch that the 49ers will be able to frequently exploit on Thursday Night.

Prediction: Amazingly, the Niners have only beaten the Seahawks in Seattle once since 2011 (with the 49ers' lone victory coming in 2019). With the Seahawks' playoff hopes partially riding in the balance, I think they will come out strong at home, but the 49ers (with rookie third-string quarterback Brock Purdy continuing to ball out) will hang in there. It will be close, but the Niners will win on the road behind their #1 ranked defence, and in the process, clinch the NFC West and sweep the Seahawks for the first time in eleven years.

49ers 24 Seahawks 20