Both the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers cannot afford a loss at this point in the season. Both teams are in the midst of a highly competitive playoff race in the NFC West while also sitting tied up for the wild-card spot. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season, but they will see each other again in two weeks. San Francisco will aim to take advantage of the home crowd before heading to Seattle.
The last time these two teams faced off was in the NFC title game and things did not go in San Francisco's favor. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick told reporters that he still thinks about that game where his last second pass to Michael Crabtree was intercepted by Richard Sherman and Malcom Smith. It pushed Seattle to the Super Bowl and the eventual victory. Kaepernick is 0-2 against Seattle during the regular season and hopes to change that record on Thanksgiving.
Seattle will rely heavily again on Marshawn Lynch who continues to prove that while he is a media headache, he is one of the most productive players on the field. The running back rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown in the NFC title game. However, he has just 175 yards on 39 carries in his last two games at San Francisco.
Meanwhile Seattle's defense continues to excel. The unit is allowing a league-low 296.8 yards per game. They only allowed the Arizona Cardinals to put up 204 total yards in their win last week. Seattle will only be getting better as linebacker Bobby Wagner returns after a toe injury.
The Seahawks will have their hands full with Kaepernick. The quarterback is excelling at this point in the season. He just threw a touchdown in his 18th straight game, but he has not rushed for more than 64 yards in a game yet this season. In the NFC title game he put up 130 yards on the ground alone.The wide receivers are improving. Against the Redskins, Anquan Boldin put up 137 yards for a season high. Sherman will lock himself on both Boldin and Crabtree during this game.
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