The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers cap off Turkey Day with an important NFC West battle at Levi's Stadium. Both teams enter this game with identical 7-4 records, trailing the Arizona Cardinals by two games in the division and in the thick of the NFC Wild Card race. This is a virtual postseason elimination game for both teams, who cannot afford a loss to a division rival that would push them even further back in what is shaping up to be a very competitive playoff field.
Seahawks vs. 49ers 2014: NFC West rivals clash in primetime on Turkey Day
The 49ers host the Seahawks in a key NFC West showdown on Thanksgiving night.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Seahawks hardly looked like defending Super Bowl champions when they started the season 3-3, but since then have reeled off four wins in their last five games. They are coming off perhaps their best defensive performance of the season, holding the Cardinals to a field goal in a 19-3 win on Sunday. Seattle currently owns the tiebreaker over the 49ers (via a better conference record) and the sixth playoff spot, but it faces the toughest remaining schedule of any NFC team.
The 49ers also struggled out of the gate, losing two of their first three games as rumors swirled about the status of head coach Jim Harbaugh. Yet the team has kept the focus on the field and played well despite those distractions, responding with six wins in its last eight games to stay afloat in the playoff hunt. The surging 49ers are primed to keep the momentum going into Thursday’s showdown against the Seahawks, having won their last five home games against their division rival.
Digits
San Francisco may have a 7-4 record, but it hasn't played like a team that is three games over .500. The 49ers have outscored their opponents by just three points this season, ranking just ahead of the 4-7 New Orleans Saints. They've played well in close games, making several late comebacks and key defensive stops to grind out wins. San Fran has won five games by seven points or fewer, the most such victories of any team in the NFL this season.
The 49ers might not be in such a dire playoff position if their offense had not struggled so badly this season. The team is barely averaging 20 points per game and much of the blame can be placed on their poor play in the red zone. The 49ers rank last in the NFL in red zone efficiency, having scored a touchdown on just 40 percent of their drives inside the 20-yard line. San Francisco has nine trips in the red zone this season where it failed to score a single point.
If there is a game where the 49ers might be able to break out of their red zone slump, it could be this matchup against a Seahawks defense that has struggled inside the 20. Seattle has the third-worst red zone defense in the NFL, allowing touchdowns on two-thirds of its opponents red zone drives, and has forced just one turnover inside the 20-yard line.
The matchup to watch in this game is between the Seahawks running game and the 49ers rush defense. Seattle leads the league in rushing yards per game (169.6) and yards per rush (5.4), and has 15 more rushing first downs than any other team this season. Defenses have multiple weapons they have to contain when facing Seattle, which can pound the ball between the tackles with the physicality of Marshawn Lynch or beat you on the edge with the dual-threat running ability of Russell Wilson.
The 49ers are allowing just 92.9 rush yards per game (seventh-best in NFL) but are coming off a poor performance on Sunday against Washington. Alfred Morris gashed them for 125 yards on 21 carries, and the Niners inability to slow down the run game was a big factor in Washington being able to keep the game close. If the 49ers defense is unable to control the line of scrimmage and aggressively pursue the ball at the point of attack against Seattle, it could be a long night in San Francisco.
Who to watch
Marshawn Lynch - Despite a slow start, “Beast Mode” has lived up to his moniker this season as one of the most punishing backs in the league. He ranks second in the NFL in yards after contact (512) and has a league-best 56 missed tackles. Since his first full season with the Seahawks in 2011, Lynch has been at his best when facing his division rival. San Francisco has allowed a 100-yard rusher just nine times over the last four seasons -- and Lynch is responsible for four of those games.
Chris Borland - The rookie linebacker from Wisconsin didn't step on the field until Week 6, but has made a huge impact on a Niners defense that has been by depleted by injuries and suspensions this season. He is the third-ranked inside linebacker according to Pro Football Focus, excelling as one of the best defenders against the run in the NFL. Borland has 27 run stops in 132 run snaps, a rate of 20.5 percent that leads all inside linebackers this season. He'll need to be at his best Thursday if the 49ers are going to have a chance at slowing down Seattle's potent ground game.
The venue
Levi’s Stadium opened in September of this season, replacing the historic Candlestick Park as the home of the 49ers. The $1.2 billion venue features 165 luxury suites and 8,500 club seats, and is considered the next generation of stadium design. One of its most unique features is a green roof atop the suite tower on the west side of the stadium. It is also environmentally friendly, with three solar bridges connecting the main parking area to the stadium and hundreds of solar panels.
How to watch
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Online streaming: NBCSports.com, Verizon NFL Mobile
Odds
The 49ers are 1-point favorites, according to OddsShark, with an over/under of 40 points.
Preliminary judgment
There is no consensus among the experts on who will win this NFC West showdown. Five of the nine guys at CBS Sports are taking the Seahawks, while 10 of 13 at ESPN have the 49ers prevailing at home. Our SB Nation expert panel is split down the middle, with four predicting a Seattle victory and four picking the Niners.
Further reading
For more on the Seahawks, check out Field Gulls. For additional coverage of the 49ers, head on over to Niners Nation.
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