Seattle Seahawks Vs. San Francisco 49ers: Has Rivalry Lost Importance With Seahawks Dominance?
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers games appear to have lost some luster. The Seahawks and 49ers play again on Sunday, November 22, but it’s possible that Seattle’s dominance in the rivalry has taken the shine off these games. In the game preview for this week 11 match-up, the Seahawks are now 13-point favorites to beat the 49ers again. The opening line for this game at CenturyLink Field was just 10 points, but it is now even more in favor of the two-time defending NFC champions.
In the week 11 schedule, there is no game projected to be more one-sided than the Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers. Even the New England Patriots are only favored by seven points (at home) against the Buffalo Bills. The only other game with that much separation between teams is the Carolina Panthers favored by seven points (at home) against the Washington Redskins. Some fans might say this is an indication that the Seahawks vs. 49ers game might even be unwatchable for fans not interested in these teams.
In the latest NFL standings, the Seahawks (4-5) are only a game ahead of the 49ers (3-6), giving a lot of fans in Santa Clara an argument that the teams might be close in talent. The problem is that recent head-to-head games seem to say otherwise. On October 22, the Seahawks beat the 49ers 20-3 in Santa Clara. It continued a winning streak for the Seahawks that includes a 17-7 victory on December 14 of last season and a 19-3 win on Thanksgiving. Before that, the Seahawks also beat the 49ers in the 2013 NFC Championship Game.
With the 49ers only putting up 13 points combined over the last three games, it is starting to look like the teams aren’t comparable at all. Since joining the NFC West, the Seahawks have a 19-15 combined record against the 49ers, and a 2-0 mark at Levi’s Stadium. There has been some really one-sided games in favor of the Seahawks, including a 34-0 win in 2004, a 41-3 win in 2005, and a 24-0 win in 2007. Now the two teams may be at a point where the match-up has lost a lot of its luster. With rumors that the Seahawks might be heading back to the AFC West in the near future, the team might not be leaving behind much.
As the second Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers game of the season draws near, the teams don’t look very similar statistically. While the Seahawks have out-scored opponents 199-179 this season, the 49ers have been out-scored 223-126. That is the worst point-differential in the entire NFL and the lowest point-total of any team. The closest teams are the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys at 166 points each. Boiling it down, a good question to be asked is just why is this considered a rivalry between Seattle and San Francisco any longer?
FOX Sports hopes that viewers tune into this game, with a television start time of 1:25 p.m. PT at CenturyLink Field. The weather is expected to be decent for football, with a lot on the line for the Seahawks. The 49ers could really play spoiler here, as the Seahawks are in must-win territory after falling to 4-5 in week 10. The Seahawks might need to finish 11-5 just to sneak into the postseason this year. It could give the 49ers, and fans of the team, something to hold over Seattle’s “12s” for the rest of the year. But is there really a chance of an upset in this game?
The rivalry between the two franchises was at its peak when Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick took over their respective teams. It even led to a Wikipedia page being created just about the match-ups. A blowout by the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday might just blow out the last candle on this cake though. Can the San Francisco 49ers stop it from happening?
[AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez]
