Week 2 preview and prediction: Seahawks at 49ers
Fresh off a Week 1 upset over the Denver Broncos, the Seattle Seahawks set their sights on a surprising 2-0 lead in the division with a road win over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Niners suffered one of the more shocking upsets of Week 1 against Chicago. San Francisco went into the game as a touchdown favorite but limped home with a 19-10 loss, soaked by a torrential downpour at Soldier Field. It’s easy to write off the weather as a factor but the Bears had to play in the same rain and managed to defend their home turf.
Second year quarterback Trey Lance struggled mightily, but what was firing on all cylinders was the Niners’ ground attack. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is known for his dominant rushing game and on Sunday it was in full force as the Niners as a team carried the ball 37 times for 176 yards and their only score of the afternoon.
Prediction: Seahawks upset 49ers 13-10
The Seahawks offense certainly wasn’t lighting the world on fire Monday night, despite a strong opening half from quarterback Geno Smith. But they played efficient, mostly-mistake free, clean football. They played well enough to let the Seattle defense do their job to essentially win the game.
With bad weather predicted for Sunday as well, the Seahawks are going to have to win another low scoring game fueled by the defense.
The 49ers have all the pressure in the world to win. As an NFC finalist last year, many picked them to represent the conference in Super Bowl LVII this February. But sitting at 0-1 they’re running the risk of an early hole. Meanwhile the Seahawks are playing with house money. Sitting at 1-0 and limited expectations of any kind will allow them to play looser.
Seattle has outright owned the 49ers in their rivalry, and are currently enjoying a four-game win streak. Place your money on this streak extending by one more game.
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