The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks take to the field Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. The contest is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on FOX. Currently the NFL Odds for the game have Seattle favored by just over a field goal in this one.
Seattle was the last team to cover a spread while hosting the San Francisco 49ers when they beat them up in the second week of the season, 29-3. San Francisco was able to even the season series when they beat the Seahawks at home in early December. Now they'll meet on the field for the right to play in the Super Bowl.
We've grown accustomed to these teams beating up on their opponents. But it's just that much better than they beat up on each other and in this game the stakes are higher than they've ever been. Seattle is an absolute monster at home, which has been well documented throughout the past few years. Only Arizona was able to beat the Seahawks in Seattle this season, in a strange game where Carson Palmer threw four interceptions and yet the Cardinals still won. Seattle's other two losses both game on the road — once to these 49ers and once to the Indianapolis Colts.
San Francisco's four losses all came to playoff teams this year, including Seattle, Indy, Carolina and New Orleans. But entering this game they've won eight straight games and are playing their best football of the season. Last week's victory over Carolina was a perfect example of what to expect in this game from San Francisco. They're going to run the football as much as they can and only throw it when they need to. Colin Kaepernick threw for only 196 yards in that game but was able to throw a touchdown. Early in the game it was obvious Carolina's defense was bothering him as Kaepernick had several overthrown passes and was pressured often. The Seattle defense will be very similar to Carolina, putting pressure on the 49ers nearly every snap.
Seattle QB Russell Wilson wasn't sharp either in the team's win over New Orleans. He completed only nine passes and was sacked three times. Seattle, though, dominated the game on the ground. Marshawn Lynch was his usual self and scored twice.
We expect Lynch and San Fran tailback Frank Gore to get the bulk of the work in this game. We don't expect Seattle to drill San Francisco the way they did way back in the first part of the season, but we are expecting a bruising game.
The defenses will determine the outcome of this one. Both are very elite defenses and this contest will be fun to watch. We expect a lower-scoring contest and Seattle will be able to make just enough plays to get the job done.
Free Pick: Seattle 20, San Francisco 17
NFL Free Picks: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks Betting
What pro football bettors need to know betting San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (1/19/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com Marco D'Angelo with Bryan Leonard.
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