I have to start out admitting I'm a big Niners fan, no doubt. Still, a little piece of me believes 49ers -2.5 may actually be a gift to lock in. Aren't the Seahawks gigantic public favorites right now?
Btw, I noticed that the opening line and total (-3, 42) are almost exactly the same as Rams-49ers last week (-3, 42). Not sure what to make of that.
I think the Niners will put everything on the line to win this game. It means more to them because they're the defending conference champs and they're behind in the standings, defending their home stadium (which won't exist after this season) and they're playing for their lives. Hawks don't need this one to make the playoffs. If the 49ers lose this one, they might be watching from home.
And these teams legitimately hate each other. The Niners will truly be playing for honor and pride. I doubt all the players leave this game walking. I get the overwhelming feeling the 49ers would literally rather die than lose this game.
Health-wise, the 49ers are little healthier than they were the last time these teams met, although some of those health problems are on the O-line, not good for Kaepernick. The Hawks are dealing with some significant injuries in the secondary, although those didn't seem to factor into last week's game at all.
I'm suspicious that the Seahawks, who are now thinking playoffs, won't use a deep playbook for this one. They won their game in Seatown and that was arguably the most important one in this series. They might be thinking about holding some secrets for the playoffs and making sure all their key players make it there healthy.