Niners-Seahawks Face Off on Sunday Night Football; Odds Preview

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The clash between the NFC-West’s two best teams the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks draws one of the most intriguing matchups of Week 16.

So who has the edge?

Both teams have a lot at stake come Sunday night. The Niners (10-3-1) have the opportunity to clinch the NFC-West title if they defeat the Seahawks at home. The team will also stay in the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, which offers a first-round bye and at least one home game in the postseason.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks (9-5) are fighting for their playoff lives and could clinch their second playoff berth in three years if they were to win Sunday. The team is clicking on all cylinders in the past few weeks, having won three-consecutive games and the last five of six. They’re simply a different team than when the 49ers last saw them in a 13-6 defeat on Oct. 18.

The game will see two of the top defenses in the league clash. The Niners, which boast the top-ranked scoring defense in the league, have allowed just 15.6 points per game and rank second in overall yards allowed (293.0). The Seahawks are not far behind. Their surging defense has climbed the ranks in the second half of the season, allowing just 16.6 points per contest.

Both teams are coming off impressive wins to say the least. The Niners shook the NFL clinging on to a 41-34 victory over the New England Patriots last Sunday after building a 28-point lead in the third quarter. Their successful play can be attributed to Colin Kaepernick, who brings dual-threat capability at the quarterback position that has frustrated opposing defenses around the league.

“Our team has now hung in a lot of big-time pressure games,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said of his team. “They’ve overcome adversity. They’ve shown they can do that.”

Just as much, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has been impressive as of late. In the last two games, he’s helped the Seahawks hang 50+ points over both the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills.

Currently, the spread has Seattle as 1-point underdogs. But don’t count the Seahawks out just yet. In fact, the Seahawks are undefeated in CenturyLink field and are riding a 14-2 ATS mark so far thus season (9-0 ATS in last nine home games).