NFL Thanksgiving Picks – San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

NFL Thanksgiving Picks – San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The San Francisco 49ers (7-3) visit the Seattle Seahawks (6-4) in an NFC West showdown on Thanksgiving night. San Francisco is a 7-point favorite and the total is 43.5. This is the first meeting of the season between the division rivals, they’ll play again in a little over two weeks on December 10. These teams met three times last season with San Francisco winning and covering all three games including a 41-23 win in the first round of the playoffs. San Francisco is coming off a 27-14 win over visiting Tampa Bay four days ago, while Seattle narrowly lost at the Los Angeles Rams 17-16. 

GAME STORYLINES: SAN FRANCISCO

For the past 4 seasons, the San Francisco 49ers have established themselves as the preeminent team in the NFC by making a Super Bowl and two straight NFC Championship games. Despite coming up just short of their first Super Bowl win since the 1994 season, they remain one of the favorites to win it all this season and are set up to be elite for the foreseeable future due to great drafting along with shrewd free agent signings and trades. 

Perhaps the shrewdest move the 49ers made was drafting quarterback Brock Purdy with the last pick (No. 262) of the 2022 NFL draft. “Mr. Irrelevant” entered his rookie year as the QB3 behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, but season-ending injuries to both players thrust Purdy into a starting role and he hasn’t looked back since. Purdy was outstanding as a rookie throwing for 1,374 yards with 13 touchdowns to 4 interceptions across 9 appearances and 6 starts.

Purdy went 6-0 as a starter and quarterbacked the team to the NFC Championship game. He became the first 49ers rookie to start and win a playoff game. Purdy has been even better in year two as he’s thrown for 2,662 yards with 18 touchdowns to 5 interceptions and 2 rushing touchdowns, he’s also competing 70.2% of his passes. Purdy ranks among the NFL’s top 10 in passing yards and passing touchdowns, and he ranks second in touchdown to interception ratio.

San Francisco also pulled off two blockbuster trades since the start of the 2022 season, acquiring All-Pro running Christian McCaffrey on October 20, 2022 from the Carolina Panthers and then trading for defensive end Chase Young from the Washington Commanders on November 1, 2023. The 27-year-old McCaffrey has been terrific with the 49ers after five spectacular but injury-riddled seasons in Carolina.

He amassed 746 rushing yards, 464 receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns in 11 games last year with the 49ers. This season, McCaffrey’s 825 rushing yards leads the NFL, he also had a streak where he scored a touchdown in 17 straight games, which tied an NFL record. Young was selected No. 2 overall in the 2020 draft and took home the 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. A torn ACL in Week 10 of the 2021 season kept him out for about a year and he’s been struggling to regain his rookie form ever since. Young has 1.5 sacks in two games with San Francisco. 

San Francisco has one of the top defenses in the NFL led by 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa (5.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble) and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (90 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles). Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (30 tackles, 4.5 sacks), linebacker Dre Greenlaw (71 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and defensive end Arik Armstead (21 tackles, 4 sacks) are also standouts on the defense. The defense suffered a huge loss when All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga tore his ACL in last week’s win against Tampa Bay, he will miss the remainder of the season.      

GAME STORYLINES: SEATTLE

In March 2022, the Seattle Seahawks traded their franchise quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos in exchange for 8 players (3 Denver players and 5 draft picks) and then named journeyman quarterback Geno Smith as the starter for the 2022 season. The move appeared to be a sign of a Seattle rebuild as Geno Smith was considered a stopgap option until they could acquire another franchise quarterback. But Smith had other plans as he surprised many by putting together a Pro Bowl season in 2022. 

After spending the first 9 years of his career with 4 teams struggling as a starter and then becoming a back-up, Geno Smith was named the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after finishing with career-highs of 4,282 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, and leading Seattle to the playoffs. Seattle rewarded him with a 3-year, $105 million dollar extension. Smith is having another good season in 2023, he’s thrown for 2,404 yards with 12 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. Smith left the second half of last week’s game against the Rams with a right elbow injury and returned late in the fourth quarter. He is questionable for the Thanksgiving game against the 49ers. 

Seattle’s offense features second year running back Kenneth Walker III (613 rushing yards, 173 receiving yards, 7 total touchdowns) and a trio of talented wideout in 25-year-old star DK Metcalf (40 catches for 646 yards, 3 touchdowns), Tyler Lockett (51 catches for 545 yards, 4 touchdowns) and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba (36 catches for 365 yards, 2 touchdowns). Seattle selected Smith-Njigba with the No. 20 pick (Ohio State) in the first round of the draft, he ranks fourth among rookie wideouts in receiving yards.

On defense, linebacker Boye Mafe (32 tackles, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble), veteran All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner (56 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon (52 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, 1 defensive touchdown). The 8-time Pro-Bowler Wagner has spent 11 of his 12 seasons with the Seahawks. Seattle selected Witherspoon with the No. 5 pick (Illinois) in the draft, they received the pick from Denver as part of the Russell Wilson trade. Witherspoon is establishing himself as one of the best defensive backs in the NFL as a rookie.

THE PICK

San Francisco may be the most complete team in the NFL, I’m not betting against them if they have everyone, Lay the Points…49ers 34, Seahawks 14