Niners were slight favorite at the opening at -115 and now slight underdogs +120. Thank you gambling gods! This is the game ex-Niners QB Donald will show cracks. And Niners winning will continue on through the Super Bowl! And this is how the west was won!
NINERS +120
The Athletic:
George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk both said they wouldn’t have believed it two months ago if you told them that the San Francisco 49ers would be playing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC on Saturday night. But here they are, after all the injuries and fill-ins filling the stat sheet, at 12-4 and facing their toughest test of the season. With the biggest stakes.
Win, and the 49ers won’t leave Levi’s Stadium, with home-field advantage all the way through the Super Bowl being played here as well. Lose, and the 49ers hit the road next week for the first round of the playoffs, likely in either Chicago or Philadelphia.
“This game is everything,” 49ers safety Malik Mustapha said. “It’s everything that we wanted, everything that we worked for, and now the opportunity is here, so we’ve had a great week of preparation, and now it’s just getting the W.”
The Seahawks (13-3) may be the better team on paper, with the No. 1 defense in EPA per play allowed, one of the NFL’s top five receivers and a running game that has found its legs. But the 49ers have also won six games in a row and have the hottest quarterback in the league in Brock Purdy.
A look at what players and coaches are saying about the biggest matchups on the field Saturday night:
When the 49ers have the ball
The 49ers have the NFL’s most efficient offense since Purdy returned from his turf toe injury in Week 11. They lead the NFL in points per drive (3.4) and TD percentage (41 percent of drives) over that span.
Christian McCaffrey is doing his best Marshall Faulk impersonation, receiver Jauan Jennings has scored at least one touchdown in five straight games and tight end George Kittle is back after missing a week with a tweaked ankle. Meanwhile, Purdy has been just as dangerous with his feet as with his arm.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the Seahawks may look to scheme things up to keep Purdy in the pocket.
“There’s definitely a balance. He’s doing a great job,” Macdonald told reporters. “There’s a lot of plays where he’s throwing it on time, layering throws over players and seeing defenses before it happens and making you pay that way. He’s obviously making a lot of extended plays and being creative and using his playmaking ability as well.”
The 49ers lead the NFL in third-down conversion rate (51 percent) and have converted 59 percent of their third downs over the last six games.
NINERS +120
The Athletic:
George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk both said they wouldn’t have believed it two months ago if you told them that the San Francisco 49ers would be playing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC on Saturday night. But here they are, after all the injuries and fill-ins filling the stat sheet, at 12-4 and facing their toughest test of the season. With the biggest stakes.
Win, and the 49ers won’t leave Levi’s Stadium, with home-field advantage all the way through the Super Bowl being played here as well. Lose, and the 49ers hit the road next week for the first round of the playoffs, likely in either Chicago or Philadelphia.
“This game is everything,” 49ers safety Malik Mustapha said. “It’s everything that we wanted, everything that we worked for, and now the opportunity is here, so we’ve had a great week of preparation, and now it’s just getting the W.”
The Seahawks (13-3) may be the better team on paper, with the No. 1 defense in EPA per play allowed, one of the NFL’s top five receivers and a running game that has found its legs. But the 49ers have also won six games in a row and have the hottest quarterback in the league in Brock Purdy.
A look at what players and coaches are saying about the biggest matchups on the field Saturday night:
When the 49ers have the ball
The 49ers have the NFL’s most efficient offense since Purdy returned from his turf toe injury in Week 11. They lead the NFL in points per drive (3.4) and TD percentage (41 percent of drives) over that span.
Christian McCaffrey is doing his best Marshall Faulk impersonation, receiver Jauan Jennings has scored at least one touchdown in five straight games and tight end George Kittle is back after missing a week with a tweaked ankle. Meanwhile, Purdy has been just as dangerous with his feet as with his arm.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the Seahawks may look to scheme things up to keep Purdy in the pocket.
“There’s definitely a balance. He’s doing a great job,” Macdonald told reporters. “There’s a lot of plays where he’s throwing it on time, layering throws over players and seeing defenses before it happens and making you pay that way. He’s obviously making a lot of extended plays and being creative and using his playmaking ability as well.”
The 49ers lead the NFL in third-down conversion rate (51 percent) and have converted 59 percent of their third downs over the last six games.
