Seattle Seahawks(1-0SU, 1-0ATS) vs.San Francisco 49ers(1-0SU, 1-0ATS)
NFL Week2
Date and Time: September 15, 2013 8:30 p.m. EST.
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA.
TV: ESPN
byWilson,Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: SF +3/SEA -3
Over/Under Total: 44
The Seattle Seahawks offense may have sputtered a bit during last weeks scratch-out win at Carolina but they did what they had to do when they had to do it. Second-year QB Russell Wilson literally took a beating from the Panthers defense but he held true to his expected poise and natural leadership by creating opportunities for his team when they needed him mostwhen the game was on the line. Russell Wilson may just be the best sports figure to land in Seattle since Ken Griffey Junior or Gary Payton; hes that special, and the Seahawk fans know they are on the verge of a potential Super Bowl run. The question that will be answered soon enough is,can the Hawks take care of the San Francisco 49ers in Seattle on Sunday Night Football?
San Francisco is coming to Seattle after a quality home win at Candlestick Park over the Green Bay Packers 34-28. More notably, Niners QB Colin Kaepernick threw for 412 yards with 13 passes going to Anquan Boldin in his San Fran debut. Kaepernick was too much for the Packers defense as he simply couldnt be stopped. It is almost too bad these two teams have to meet this early but then again they might as well skip the small talk and see who will have the upper hand heading into week three and which team will be positioning for a rematch in week 14 (December 8 in San Fran).
Defensively, the Seahawks will have the advantage in this first meeting at CenturyLink Field which is infamous for its 12thMan and incredible level of noise. Seattle is one the toughest places in the NFL for opponents to communicate and call plays at the line of scrimmageits super loud! Seriously, this must be a factor in every visiting teams game plan if they want to have success offensively. However, this game should be an all-out war on both sides of the ball even with the 12thman. The 49ers have as strong and efficient of an offense as the Seahawks, so really, defense will be the keywhichever D gets more stops will determine the winnersounds like simple logic but both offenses are difficult to slow down.
Seattle has won 8 of their last 9 regular season games going back to last season. After last seasons playoff run and obtaining a taste of what couldve been, I see the Hawks stepping up big on their turf. The 49ers offense was way more productive than Seattles in week one but Russell Wilson will get things going at home and be ready for the Niners. Seattle embarrassed the Niners in last seasons matchup at CenturyLink Field so you can bet the Bay area boys will be looking for revenge.
This will also be a battle of QBs. Wilson vs. Kaepernick. They are both playmakers and loaded with offensive options including their own running attack as both QBs have proven they can scramble for big yardage when necessary. In the previous matchup, (last season in Seattle) Kaepernick threw for more yards than Wilson but it was Wilson who tossed 4 TDs and had a 71.4 pass completion percentage to Kaepernicks 59 percent. Both QBs had a solid opening week and look to compete with each other for bragging rights in the NFC West.
The 49ers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games vs. the NFC West. The Seahawks are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in week 2. The over is 5-0 in 49ers last 5 games vs. NFC, while the under is 7-0 in the Seahawks last 7 games in the month of September. Head to head, the home team 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings and 6-2 ATS in their previous 8 meetings.
This is without a doubt the NFLs game of the week. Fans cant wait for Sunday Night Football in the Pacific Northwest! The Seahawks will be tough to stop at home but San Francisco looked really good offensively especially with Crabtrees replacement Anquan Boldin and re-emergence of TE Vernon Davis. If the Hawks D continues to play the way they are capable of playing this game should be another W for Seattle. Either way a difficult pick to make but I like Seattle to come out on top.
WilsonsPick to Cover the Point Spread:Hawks cover.Luck to ya.