NFL Odds – How the Niners Can Beat the Seahawks For the NFC Title
Certainly in the category of “tough nuts to crack,” you can include the San Francisco 49ers’ ability, or lack of same, to defeat the Seattle Seahawks at Century Link Field in Seattle. Of course, since the Seahawks had the best record in the NFC this season, having to go through this dreaded building is an inevitability, so the only possibility for the Niners is to think about how they are going to solve this puzzle. We know that as a football team, they have the ability to do it; after all, this is a team that has been to the NFC championship game three years in a row. But the question on the minds of people who analyze the NFL odds is, is this particular field to tough for them? Or, is there a psychological barrier that has been put up based on the last two times these teams have played in this extremely loud Stadium?
When we take a look at the NFL odds as they are posted at BetAnySports on this game, we see that the Niners are probably getting an unusual amount of respect from the line maker, relative to the way they have performed in Seattle in each of the last two seasons:
Seattle Seahawks -4.5
San Francisco 49ers +4.5
Over 40.5 points -110
Under 40.5 points -110
It wouldn’t be uncommon if a team had a little bit of a complex after getting shellacked by a 71-16 margin in their last two trips to a particular destination, especially if they had not scored one meaningful touchdown in either of those two games. But truth be told, the Niners are not just any team, and most astute NFL bettors are aware of this. While it is true that this team has been outscored by a 33-6 Over the first halves of those two games, which resulted in 42-13 and 29-3 defeats, they have not exactly let Russell Wilson run wild, or at least they didn’t do so in this season’s meeting.
Wilson, who has to be classified as a “winner” but not exactly the kind of passer who can a carve up on defense on any given day, only completed eight of his 19 passes and was sacked four times. That is one vulnerability he’s had; pass rushes can definitely reach him, as he’s gone down 44 times on the season. The 49ers’ secondary is probably not quite as good as the one Seattle possesses (which allows just 5.8 yards per pass attempt), but they are good enough to keep this Seahawk passing game in check, especially with Percy Harvin not available to Seattle. He would’ve added another dimension for them, if he was healthy, but he’s got to sit out with concussion problems.
Frank Gore, who is had only 44 yards total in his last two visits to Seattle, needs to do more. His over/under at BetAnySports is 67.5 yards (-115 either way). He is a critical part of the 49ers’ ball-control approach. And make no mistake – they’ve got to see the ground attack as the key to victory. You can’t run the ball 39 times and pass it 64 times, like they did, and expect to be at your best.
And of course, turnovers hold the key, if you want to use a very often-beaten expression. Hey look – San Francisco had an equal number of yards per play to Seattle in both the 2012 in 2013 meetings at Century Link Field, so it makes sense that a great equalizer here could be a mistake-free game from the Niners, who could bring home the bacon for their NFL betting backers.
If you’re interested in championship-level betting, then you have to go to the championship-level sports book. That’s BetAnySports, so make yourself available to open up an account today!
More About Charles Jay
CHARLES JAY grew up around the gaming business, was raised in the boxing business, and along the way has developed a colorful background through a wide range of experiences. Jay was a veteran of almost two decades actively in the boxing industry, as a writer, publicist, matchmaker, booking agent, manager, and promoter. He was engaged as editorial consultant for USA Network's "Tuesday Night Fights" for seven years, and also did some on-air work for USA. He also served as color commentator for, among others, Sunshine Network and Prime Network, and has called more than a dozen world championship fights for national and/or international television. He has been the host of numerous radio programs, including "Sportswatch with Charles Jay" on KDWN in Las Vegas, "Total Action" on WAXY 790 in Miami, and "Charles Jay's Winning Edge", syndicated into 55 markets by the American Radio Networks. For the past 20 years, he has been a professional sports handicapper, and as a consultant to the casino industry from 1993-95, helped to launch Casino Magic in Mississippi as a major venue for sports promotions. Also, he's been a casino/sports gaming columnist for a number of leading publications, including Sports Form, Casino Player, Card Player, and The Gambler. In the 2000's, he became widely known as one of the world's leading proponents and experts on the subject of boxing reform, having been asked to appear on numerous panels and speak at officials' seminars. He was the author of "Operation Cleanup" and "Operation Cleanup 2: Unfinished Business" - two critically-acclaimed e-books that represent arguably the most comprehensive and in-depth examination of boxing reform issues ever put into publication. In 2004 he published a third electronic book - "Body Shots: Outside the Ring and Inside the Game of Pro Boxing". In 2003 he was the recipient of the "Dignity" Award, in the category of "Best Sports Writer," as bestowed by the Retired Boxers Foundation.
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