The Seahawks have back-to-back wins over the Packers and Panthers. But now Richard Sherman comes to town with the 49ers, who Seattle is favored heavily against. Can the good times keep rolling? Here's what the national media are saying.
ESPN
All nine panelists pick the Seahawks straight up.
Brady Henderson: Seahawks 30, 49ers 17
“The Seahawks haven’t lost to the 49ers since 2013, and it hasn’t happened in Seattle since Jim Harbaugh’s team completed a season sweep on Christmas Eve in 2011. Seattle wins another while fighting for a playoff spot.”
Nick Wagoner: Seahawks 27, 49ers 13
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“The Niners’ futility against the Seahawks dates to 2013 and goes back even further in games played in Seattle. It’s hard to envision that tide turning here as the Seahawks surge and the 49ers are in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick with former practice squader Nick Mullens at quarterback. Russell Wilson is 11-2 against the Niners in his career and should get to an even dozen here.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Benjamin Hoffman pick the Seahawks (-9.5) to cover.
“It should have felt unnatural for Richard Sherman, the longtime Seattle star, to sign with the division rival San Francisco, but once you consider the mass exodus of talent from the Seahawks (6-5) and the irrelevance of the current 49ers (2-9), the situation just doesn’t muster much emotion. San Francisco has performed better on defense than many expected, and it has the offensive skill players to take a leap next season when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returns from his knee injury. But for now, the Niners are hardly a threat to Seattle, so the fans at CenturyLink Field should have no problem giving their former star a warm welcome.”
PRO FOOTBALL TALK
Mike Florio: Seahawks 24, 49ers 13
“Richard Sherman returns home with a chance to spoil a Seattle playoff run. Unfortunately for Sherman, there aren’t enough players as talented as Sherman around him.”
Michael David Smith: Seahawks 34, 49ers 20
“The Seahawks are playing hard and appear to be heading toward the playoffs in what easily could have been a rebuilding year. That’s a credit to Pete Carroll.”
NFL.com
Elliot Harrison: Seahawks 34, 49ers 10
“Remember the days when this matchup used to be the NFL’s heavyweight bout of the season, times two? Man, from 2012 until right before internal strife dismantled the 49ers’ 2014 campaign, this was the matchup in pro football. The Niners 2012’ed themselves. Remember that flick? End-of-times feel, with San Francisco as the backdrop. Perfect! And quite subpar, just like this current 2-9 club. The Nick Mullens Experience flowed like a floral pigskin for a couple of weeks. Now all the hippies — er, techies, I mean — want their C.J. back. No, not the CJ-7 that they bought with their stock dividends without even realizing it’s a Jeep (but which they thought made them look cool), but C.J. Beathard. Well, Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Mullens will be the starter this week. He’ll struggle to match Russell Wilson, who comes in toting a 25:5 TD-to-INT ratio and will be throwing against a secondary that has picked off two passes. That’s for the whole year, everybody.
BLEACHER REPORT
All three panelists pick the Seahawks (-10) to cover.
Consensus pick: Seahawks 30, 49ers 16
Brad Gagnon: “The Seahawks are for real. They haven’t lost to a team from outside of Los Angeles since Week 2, and there’s no shame in falling to either the Rams or Chargers this year. The 49ers reside in the same state, but they’re closer to the Raiders’ end of the NFL spectrum, and Seattle crushed Oakland 27-3 at a neutral site last month.
“Meanwhile, the 49ers are a mess following the Reuben Foster fiasco and an 18-point loss to a pretty bad Bucs team. In the last week they’ve flown more than 5,000 miles from the Bay Area to Tampa to Seattle, and they’re still on the road. The league has figured out quarterback Nick Mullens, who has gotten progressively worse with each start since relieving C.J. Beathard, and the defense has just five takeaways all season.”
CBS SPORTS
All eight panelists pick the Seahawks straight up.
All eight panelists pick the Seahawks (-10) to cover.
Pete Prisco: Seahawks 27, 49ers 10
“The Seahawks have impressed the past few weeks and are on the verge of a soft part of their schedule, starting with this one. Russell Wilson is playing outstanding football and that will carry over here. Look for a big game from Wilson and the Seahawks in an easy rout.”