Seahawks vs. 49ers: Declined safety caps off San Francisco win

Add ‘everyone is out to get NFL bettors in 2012’ to the list of conspiracy theories after yet another strange turn of events took money out of the hands of San Francisco 49er backers Thursday night.

From OddsShark.com this morning:

With the 49ers already leading 13-6, and less than a minute to play, Russell Wilson dropped back into his own end zone and fired a pass to Ben Obomanu that failed to bring enough yardage to convert the 4th and 17 situation. On the same play, Paul McQuistan committed a chop block on Aldon Smith that would have resulted in a safety if accepted as a penalty.

Niners’ head coach Jim Harbaugh had the chance to either (a) decline the penalty and put his team in the victory formation, or (b) accept the penalty, take the safety and deal with the safety kick to run out the clock with a nine-point lead. He chose option (a), which meant that anyone who had bet the 7.5-point spread had money riding on the decision. David Fucillo of Niners Nation explained the situation:

One might think that Seattle fans would be discouraged by a 6-point output but, on the contrary, Danny Kelly of SB Nation’s Seahawks blog Field Gulls found plenty to be optimistic about. Sure the loss was disappointing, but there’s no shame in coming “close” on the road against a tough opponent like the Niners:

The young Seahawks are still in pretty good shape, as their 4-3 record puts them just one game behind the 5-2 Niners in the NFC West. Considering that the Seahawks have been breaking in the rookie Wilson this year, that’s not a bad spot to be in. They are certainly close.

With two of the top three defenses in the NFL facing off, it would come down to which offense could put up just enough points to give their defense enough wiggle room to do their thing.

The Niners improved to 5-2 on the year and took over sole possession of first place in the NFC West, while the Seahawks fell to 4-3.

For a moment, the San Francisco 49ers covered the spread. Jim Harbaugh’s team entered the game as 7.5-point favorites. They beat the spread, or could have done so, in the final minutes of an NFC West showdown with the Seattle Seahawks thanks to a penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Jim Harbaugh, however, had other ideas and declined it, taking the result of the play -- which came up just short of a first down -- instead.

The safety happened on a play where Seattle lineman Paul McQuistan was flagged for an illegal block on 4th-and-17 . Harbaugh declined the penalty, so that he could get the ball back and run out the clock with a 13-6 lead over Pete Carroll.

Gore has pounded the Seahawks defense on a night that has seen little offensive production from either side. Gore rushed for 131 yards and has 51 more yard receiving to account for more than half of the 49ers total offense on the night.

With the 49ers leading the Seahawks 13-6 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, Gore was forced off the field for reasons that were not immediately clear, but the 49ers back was immediately tended to by San Francisco staffers, who were checking his back as the running back looked pained from the sideline.

I’d do what he says...

No, really.

Every team has a few idiots in the stands. But then there’s this guy, reppin’ the 49ers on Thursday night.

My question is, how does he keep that hat on his head?

The barnburner that is the Seahawks vs. 49ers on Thursday night has two main stars so far. Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore are leading the way for their respective teams, each continuing to rack up yards against two of the league’s toughest run defenses.

Seattle heads into halftime with a 6-3 lead, but this one looks like it will come down to the wire. Russell Wilson and Alex Smith haven’t managed much through the air. A defensive battle, though, is what most anticipated heading into this matchup.

After catching 51 passes for 788 yards as a rookie last season, Badwin has 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown this season.

Compare and contrast. Offsetting unnecessary roughness penalties on Seattle and San Francisco. One coach watches and considers. He’s calculating. The other coach is emotional. He belly burns with the fires of passion.

Yin and Yang, in NFL head coach form.

Frank Gore is running all over the Seahawks in the early stages of Thursday night’s matchup. So far he has carried the ball five times for 36 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry in the first quarter.

He also added one reception for 12 yards. It’s clear the 49ers fully intend to continue running the ball constantly, even if they’re taking on one of the league’s toughest run defenses.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith is battling a middle finger injury on his non-throwing hand, but he will start on Thursday night. He was listed as probable on the injury report all week.

There’s one note about Pete Carroll that captures him best:

He’s one of those people who just seems a little too upbeat and too energetic -- not really a cult hero, but more like a cult member. Or maybe just a secret crystal meth user. The note above comes from J.R. Moehringer’s 2007 profile of Carroll where the coach is alternately a God, rock star, movie star, self-help guru, music geek, and one-man savior for USC football and South Central, L.A.

So which team wins that matchup? Depends who you ask. At CBSSports.com, five of the eight experts put their picks down on Seattle’s side. But at ESPN.com, 13 of 14 predictors are taking the 49ers, including the Accuscore and fan picks. All four predictors at Yahoo! Sports also choose San Francisco.

The odds may have something to do with Seattle’s 1-2 road record and that the 49ers have prevailed in each of the two teams’ last three meetings.

The over-under is set at 38, and given the strength of these two NFC West defensive powerhouses, the money is leaning toward the under. Both teams are 4-2 against the spread, and this contest has a lot at stake for each team’s prospects to take hold of the competitive division.

Date / Time: Thursday, October 18, 8:20 p.m. ET

TV: NFL Network

If we have learned anything from the 2012 NFL season, it’s that the Seattle Seahawks pack a nasty bite as an underdog.

Just ask the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys. By Friday morning, we might be able to ask San Francisco 49ers bettors the same question.