49ers vs Seahawks NFL Divisional Round Best Picks

After a wild opening weekend of the NFL playoffs, which included upsets, comeback wins, and blowouts, the divisional round is set to begin this weekend. The action will start on Saturday, and one of the games scheduled will see the 6th-seeded San Francisco 49ers take on the 1st-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the NFC. This game is scheduled for Saturday, January 17th, and has a kick-off time of 8:00 pm ET. It will be played at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, and will be broadcast on FOX.

Our article will provide a comprehensive preview of this game, including our three best bets.

49ers vs Seahawks Predictions

• Pick #1 - San Francisco 49ers +7.5 (-124)
• Pick #2 - Under 45.5 Total Points (-115)
• Pick #3 - Christian McCaffrey Anytime Touchdown (-125)

PICK #1: San Francisco 49ers +7.5 (-124)

Our top pick for this all-NFC West divisional game will target the 49ers to cover. The 49ers enter this game with a record of 13-5 (including the playoffs), having just beaten the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild-Card last weekend, 23-19. As for the Seahawks, they received a bye as the NFC's top team and carry a 14-3 record. 

Given that these two teams are in the NFC West, they have already played each other twice this season. The 49ers won in Week 1 in Seattle, 17-13, while the Seahawks won in San Francisco in Week 18, 13-3. Both teams have been impressive against the spread this season, with the 49ers having gone 12-6, while the Seahawks are 12-5. That said, their against-the-spread records are much different when looking at the home/away splits. The 49ers are 8-2 SU/ATS this season on the road, while the Seahawks are 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS at home.

There is also the fact that Brock Purdy, San Francisco’s quarterback, has much more playoff experience compared to Sam Darnold, Seattle’s quarterback. Purdy is 5-2 in seven career playoff starts, while Darnold is 0-1 in just one playoff start. The Seahawks may have finished the regular season tied for the best record, but the lack of playoff experience from Darnold makes him a quarterback who cannot be fully trusted just yet. Add in the fact that the 49ers are 3-0 ATS in the last three meetings against the Seahawks on the road, and our pick is for the 49ers to win or lose by fewer than eight.

PICK #2: Under 45.5 Total Points (-115)

Our second pick for this game will be on the Under. If one thing is true about both teams, it is that they play defense at a high level. The 49ers rank 12th defensively, allowing 21.7 points per game, while the Seahawks rank 2nd defensively, allowing 17.2 points per game.

Further, both regular-season meetings went under the total with an average of 23.0 points scored across the two games. Another factor to consider is that the 49ers have already played a game in the playoffs, whereas this will be the Seahawks' first game. Over the last 10 meetings between these two teams, the Under is 6-4, which includes the previous three games in a row. For that reason, our pick will be on the Under.   

PICK #3: Christian McCaffrey Anytime Touchdown (-125)

Our third and final pick for this divisional playoff matchup will be for 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey to score a touchdown. There is no question that McCaffrey has been the backbone of the 49ers’ offense this season. In the regular season, he scored a total of 17 touchdowns (10 rushing and seven receiving). Further, he scored at least one touchdown in 12 of the 49ers’ 17 regular-season games.

In last week’s ‘upset’ of the Philadelphia Eagles, McCaffrey scored two touchdowns, both of which were receiving. He also accounted for 114 of San Francisco’s 361 total yards. The only cause for concern with this pick is that McCaffrey did not score in either meeting against the Seahawks this season. That said, McCaffrey is too valuable an offensive asset to believe he will get shut down in the third meeting with the Seahawks. For that reason, backing Christian McCaffrey to find the end zone at least once will be our play.