One of the NFL's budding rivalries renews itself on Thursday Night Football when the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks (2-4) visit the San Francisco 49ers (2-4). Tonight's game may very well be an early NFL Playoffs elimination game, as a 2-5 record will put either team in dire straits in both the NFC West and Wild Card races. Who's got the edge? Here's our Thursday Night Football: Seahawks vs. 49ers Preview & Prediction.
Line: Seahawks by 6.5
What's The Stakes?
As we mentioned before, neither team can really afford falling three games under .500 heading towards the halfway point of the season. Plus, the bad blood this rivalry evokes makes any loss weigh that much heavier.
Key To The Game:
49ers QB Colin Kaepernick has come out of the woods over the past two weeks, putting a pair of absolutely dreadful performances behind him in effective outings both at the New York Giants (loss) and home against the Baltimore Ravens (win). It's not a coincidence that San Francisco's offense has scored 52 combined points over the past two games, compared to just 48 over their first four. A confident Kaepernick gives San Francisco a chance in any game, including against a Seahawks defense that has looked like a shell of itself for extended periods during the 2015 season.
If Kaepernick can outfox and out-swagger Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and the rest of the Legion of Boom, the 49ers can win this one. If not, it'll be a long night by The Bay.
What They're Saying About Seattle:
Russell Wilson, Seahawks struggling against the blitz
Seattle's turnaround must start with the defense
What They're Saying About San Francisco:
Playing well vs. Seattle "not a personal goal" for Kaepernick
Bowman: Tomsula doing "great job" with depleted roster
Prediction: Seahawks 20, 49ers 13
This one will be bowling shoe ugly. Neither offense will likely get too much traction on a short week, and tensions should run really high in the trenches. This scoreline comes down to the fact that we just trust Russell Wilson more that Colin Kaepernick in these types of scenarios.
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