And we're back for another week of San Francisco 49ers football! The team had its bye last week, and they return looking to build on their Week 9 win over the Atlanta Falcons. The 49ers are traveling to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, with the game airing on FOX and kicking off at 1:25 p.m. PT. The announcers will be Chris Myers and Ronde Barber, with Jennifer Hale on the sideline.
While the 49ers are struggling along at 3-6, the Seahawks are not much better. Seattle is 4-5, and in third place due to their road loss to the Rams. Their secondary just got lit up by Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals, and Russell Wilson is struggling with any sort of consistency this season. They are not necessarily a "bad" team, but they're not really a "good" team at the moment.
The Seahawks won the first game between these two, defeating the 49ers 20-3 at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers offense could get nothing going in that game, and more struggles a week later against the St. Louis Rams led to the benching of Colin Kaepernick. This game will mark Blaine Gabbert's second straight start for the 49ers, and a slightly bigger test than the Atlanta Falcons defense. The Seahawks defense is not nearly what it was the last couple years, but they still bring a stout pass rush thanks to Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett (Cliff Avril will miss the game). Gabbert's biggest problems have come when he faces significant duress in the pocket. He is not the only quarterback to deal with this, but he has shown to be particularly bad in these situations.
The Seahawks face issues with running back Marshawn Lynch. He is dealing with an abdomen issue that nearly cost him Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals. He missed two practices last week, but played on Sunday. This week, he missed two practices, but got in some work on Friday. He is listed as questionable, and will likely be another game-time decision. His absence would be kind of huge.
The Seahawks are a sizable favorite in this game. The line opened at ten points, but has climbed to 12.5, with some sportsbooks going as high as 13.5. This is the biggest line for this rivalry since the Seahawks were a ten point favorite at home in 2007. The last time the 49ers were a larger underdog to the Seahawks was a 2005 road game. Even with the Seahawks struggling, the public and oddsmakers see the Seahawks rolling in this.
Nuts and bolts
Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Game time: Sunday, November 22, 1:25 p.m. PT
TV channel: FOX
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass on replay
49ers Radio: 680-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero)
Odds: 49ers +12.5
Matchup history: 15-19
Enemy blog: Field Gulls
Twitter: @ninersnation
Facebook: Go ahead and give us a like!
49ers regular season schedule
Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings - 49ers 20, Vikings 3
Week 2: @ Pittsburgh Steelers - Steelers 43, 49ers 18
Week 3: @ Arizona Cardinals - Cardinals 47, 49ers 7
Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers - Packers 17, 49ers 3
Week 5: @ New York Giants Giants 30, 49ers 27
Week 6: vs. Baltimore Ravens - 49ers 25, Ravens 20
Week 7: vs. Seattle Seahawks - Seahawks 20, 49ers 3
Week 8: @ St. Louis Rams - Rams 27, 49ers 6
Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons - 49ers 17, Falcons 16
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: @ Seattle Seahawks - Sunday, November 22, 1:25 p.m. FOX
Week 12: vs. Arizona Cardinals - Sunday, November 29, 1:05 p.m. FOX
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears - Sunday, December December 6, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 14: @ Cleveland Browns - Sunday, December 13, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 15: vs. Cincinnati Bengals - Sunday, December 20, 5:30 p.m. NBC (SNF)
Week 16: @ Detroit Lions - Sunday, December 27, 10:00 a.m. FOX
Week 17: vs. St. Louis Rams - Sunday, January 3, 1:25 p.m. FOX