Week 12: Seahawks vs 49ers Picks & Predictions

National media predict which side will win this weekend's matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Elliot Harrison at NFL.com predicts a 22-17 win for the Seahawks, "The Seahawks try to keep pace with the Rams in advance of their Week 15 meeting in Seattle. They had better not look past these 49ers, who are coming off both a win and a bye. The first question is whether the visiting Seahawks will play any better in the secondary without their stars than they did versus the Falcons. Kam Chancellor -- who might miss the rest of the season with a neck injury -- makes a huge difference in the run game, which San Francisco revived against the Giants in Week 10. None of that matters, because Russell Wilson will probably pull this contest out in the fourth quarter. His passer rating during that super-relevant part of the game is a superhuman 133.0. That is off the charts this deep into the season." Brady Henderson at ESPN.com sees a 24-18 Seattle win, "The 49ers are catching the Seahawks in a potentially vulnerable state, with injuries piling up in their secondary and elsewhere. Also working against the Seahawks is they're playing on the road on a short week against a team coming off its bye. Those factors should only keep the game closer than it otherwise would be. The Seahawks may not be as dominant as they were with all the star power they're missing, but they still have a significant enough talent edge over San Francisco that it's hard to imagine them losing this game -- especially with their margin for error in the NFC playoff race already reduced. One aspect of this matchup that stands out: San Francisco's 31st-ranked run defense will be a welcomed sight for a Seattle offense that has struggled to find any consistency on the ground while cycling through tailbacks. The Seahawks have won eight consecutive games vs. the 49ers, starting with the NFC Championship Game following the 2013 season. That streak will continue Sunday." Nick Wagoner at ESPN.com gives the Seahawks a slight advantage, projecting a 17-16 victory, "The 49ers haven't defeated the Seahawks since Dec. 8, 2013, but the Niners nearly got over the hump in the first meeting this season and now seem to be looking at their best chance to beat Seattle in the past nine meetings. San Francisco is coming back from its bye and getting healthy, while the Seahawks are traveling on a short turnaround after playing on Monday Night Football and are missing key defensive players such as Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellorand Cliff Avril. The Seahawks still have a pronounced advantage at quarterback in Russell Wilson. Is that enough to overcome the other advantages the Niners have? It has been in the past. This one should be close." Pete Prisco at CBSSports.com believes the Seahawks win big, 30-14, "The Seahawks sure haven’t looked like the team we expected to see this season as injuries have crippled the defense. But that won’t matter here. The 49ers aren’t good on offense, and that will show up. Plus, Russell Wilson will have a big day. Seattle takes it."Chris Simms at BleacherReport.com thinks Russell Wilson's play will be the difference in a 28-16 Seahawks win, "The 49ers don't have the athletes up front to contain him and prevent him from making magic. They don't have the cover guys needed to stop Doug Baldwin downfield when the scramble drill starts, either." David Steele at Sporting News likes Seattle by a final score of 28-10, "In Week 2, even before the Seahawks defense was gutted by injury, the 49ers made them sweat it out in Seattle. It’s tough to imagine Russell Wilson and Co. being held to 12 points by the 49ers, even in Santa Clara (not that it’s ever been a home-field edge for them). And that defense will still submit C.J. Beathard to another trial by fire, reminding everybody why the 49ers are in no rush to subject Jimmy Garoppollo to any of that yet." Sam Farmer at the Los Angeles Times sees a win in Seattle's future, "Losing to the Falcons the way they did was a gut punch for the Seahawks, but they’re not going to let the Rams run away with the NFC West. Seattle bounces back to win this on the road." Jim Moore at 710Sports.com thinks quarterback play gives an advantage to Seattle, 24-20, "The 49ers could pull off a shocker here, but I’ll still give the nod to the Seahawks because of the huge difference between Wilson and Beathard." Mike Florio and Michael David Smith at ProFootballTalk.com each predict a Seahawks win. All 10 experts at ESPN.com side with the Seahawks, all eight analysts at CBSSports.com feel the same way, as do all five writers at USA Today, while five of six analysts at SI.com predict a Seattle win.