Seahawks vs 49ers Wild Card Week: Forty-Niners Have Nine Players Out

• Seattle Seahawks snagged the 7th playoff seed by beating the LA Rams in Week 18

• San Fran 49ers have gone 5-0 with rookie backup QB Brock Purdy as their starter

• Watch Seahawks vs 49ers live on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at 4:30 PM ET on FOX

Seahawks vs 49ers Wildcard Week Odds

Seahawks vs 49ers Wildcard Week Picks

POINT SPREAD: San Francisco 49ers -10 (-110) at DraftKings

POINTS TOTAL: Under 43 (-110) at BetMGM

SPECIAL: First Team TD – San Francisco 49ers (-275) at Caesars

POINT SPREAD: San Francisco 49ers -10 (-110) at DraftKings

Game one of the NFL’s Wildcard Weekend Saturday postseason doubleheader is an NFC West showdown as the seventh-seeded Seattle Seahawks face the number two NFC-seed San Francisco 49ers, this Seahawks team is fortunate to be included in the playoffs thanks to an overtime field goal from PK Jason Meyers to beat the LA Rams in Week 18 as well as a loss from the Green Bay Packers, while the talent-rich Niners continue to stack win after win.

San Francisco has an (almost) embarrassing stockpile of NFL superstars including receivers who can run from the backfield (Deebo Samuel), backs who can run routes and catch balls (Christian McCaffrey), and a tight end who can do just about everything (George Kittle), this top seed easy favorites here, their number one ranked defense a big reason for their ongoing success.

The oddsmakers tell us that the Seattle Seahawks with former backup QB Geno Smith now under center have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight games, one big reason we like San Fran to cover in round one of the playoffs and given the 49ers have won each of their last 10 games in a row, HC Kyle Shanahan no doubt has a special game plan for Seattle.

POINTS TOTAL: Under 43 (-110) at BetMGM

There is a reason the Seattle Seahawks are huge underdogs in this matchup, outmatched with a 13th-ranked offense and a 26th-ranked defense compared with the 49ers who have the 5th best offense and the number one defense, a mismatch that seems to favor the under this bet since San Fran’s top-notch defense might make it tough for the Seahawks to get on the scoreboard.

The sportsbooks report that eight of the 49ers' last nine postseason games have gone under the total points line and it’s no wonder given their defense only allows opponents to score 16.3 points per game while the Seahawks' defense allows teams to post 23.6 points per game, that combined total of 39.9 still under what BetMGM allows (43) for this bet, another reason for us to take the under.

Keep in mind that the Seahawks are in a next-man-up situation after dealing with an injury-riddled season, right now with 18 players listed on IR and two as questionable to play on Saturday, while the Forty-Niners have nine players out with five listed as questionable to play including starting LG Aaron Banks (knee) who will be a game-time coach’s decision so check back.

SPECIAL: First Team TD – San Francisco 49ers (-275) at Caesars

Here is a fun Wildcard Weekend wager where Caesars Sportsbook asks bettors to guess which team will score the first touchdown of this game, with the Seahawks (+215) the underdogs and paying $100 bet winners $215 plus their wager and the Forty-Niners (-275) the favorites paying $275 winning bets $100 plus the original investment, a simple way to add action to this game.

One factor to watch for is how well the Seahawks handle San Francisco’s pass-catching TE George Kittle who has mastered the craft of releasing from blocks and running quick pass patterns that rookie QB Brock Purdy can target, a challenge for Seattle’s secondary including CBs Mike Jackson and rookie Tariq Woolen plus safeties Quandre Diggs and Ryan Neal (knee) who is listed as questionable.

Seahawks QB Geno Smith has enough of an arm to hit WR DK Metcalf for some deep balls but that requires time in the pocket while those routes develop, so watch for San Fran DE Nick Bosa to provide much QB pressure, this year having already posted a league-leading 18.5 sacks along with 48 QB hits, 51 total tackles (with 19 of those for a loss), and a pass defended plus two forced fumbles.

How to Watch Seahawks vs 49ers

• What: Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers

• Where: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA

• When: Saturday, January 14, 2023, at 4:30 PM ET

• How: FOX