The 49ers left Chicago looking like a team with a ton of questions to answer. The Seahawks left their Week 1 opener a winner over the heavily-favored Broncos. Despite opposite sentiments around each team in the days after their respective season openers, sports books still like the 49ers to beat Seattle in Week 2. Tipico Sportsbook has San Francisco favored at home by 8.5 points.
This points to a couple things. First, Week 1 is always a little strange. Weird things happen with new coaches, new players, injuries and everything else that shifts over the course of an offseason. Second, both the 49ers and Seahawks had some weird circumstances in Week 1. There was a torrential downpour in Chicago, while Seattle hosted long-time starting quarterback Russell Wilson in his first game as a Denver Bronco.
So the books instead revert to what we knew about each team going into the year. The 49ers were coming off an NFC championship game appearance and hoped to do the same again this year. Seattle was going through a semi-rebuild after trading Wilson. That would indicate there’s a sizable discrepancy between the two clubs, which is why the number now sits at 8.5 points.
Beware hammering either side on this line though. There’s a not-so-crazy scenario where San Francisco blows out Chicago and Seattle gets trounced by Denver and 8.5 points looks right. On the other hand, the 49ers haven’t beaten Seattle by more than 8.5 points since Week 1 of the 2011 season when they won 33-17 at Candlestick Park. Since then they’ve won just four games against Seattle by a combined 14 points.
Signs point to the Seahawks covering the hefty spread, but it’s too easy to envision a scenario where the 49ers exact some long-awaited revenge on a Seattle club that no longer has Russell Wilson at quarterback. We’re staying away from this game.
