There’s no shame in bein’ beaten by the best.
Pick whatever unlikely playoff team cliche you want – the Seahawks are either playing with house money, or they have nothing to lose, or they are feeling really loose, and so on – they are all true in this case. Pretty much everybody and their mother are picking the 49ers to win today’s Wild Card matchup in Santa Clara.
How many exactly? According to NFL pick watch, 98% of the experts are predicting a Niners win. The only experts we could find who have picked a Seattle upset are Frank Raines and Stan Taylor of Field Gulls fame and Betting News Public.
The most-likely scenario for an upset will involve the Seahawks getting consistent pressure on rookie quarterback Brock Purdy and forcing him into some turnovers. They’ll also need Geno Smith to avoid mistakes and find some way to contain Christian McCaffrey, who’s back to top-five RB form after missing most of the previous two seasons due to injury.
Most of all, Pete Carroll and his staff have to recognize that they’re outmatched and adjust the gameplan accordingly. If ever there was a time to pull out bold trick plays and make aggressive decisions on fourth down, this is it.
