The Seattle Seahawks have blown a golden opportunity these last couple of weeks. Instead of putting some daylight between themselves and the San Francisco 49ers while the 49ers struggle, the Seahawks have also hit the skids.
After a 3-0 start, Seattle is now 3-2 and coming off a bad loss at home to the New York Giants. It was so bad that even though they are in first place and playing at home on Thursday, they are the underdogs.
Game Line: 49ers (-3.5)
Are we judging the 49ers on their past? This year, they have victories against the New York Jets, who just fired their head coach, and the New England Patriots, who everyone agrees are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Their losses are to the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, and Arizona Cardinals.
Only one of those three losses was to a good team. And losing at home last week to a Cardinals team that appeared to be dead and buried has everyone in San Francisco shaking their head.
But these are the 49ers. They were in the Super Bowl eight months ago. They own the NFC West. Kyle Shanahan is the best head coach to never win a Super Bowl. Surely they will right this ship and cruise to another division title.
Or will they?
Quarterback Proposition Bets
If nothing else, we should see some great quarterback play on Thursday night. Brock Purdy is fourth in the league in passing yards, and his over/under on passing yards at Seattle is 252.5. That’s a full 22 yards below his per-game season average.
Seattle quarterback Geno Smith leads the NFL in passing yards, and his over/under on Thursday is 251.5 yards, which is almost 42 yards below his per-game season average.
It is important to note that outside of Sam Darnold’s 268 yards in Week 2, the 49ers haven’t allowed a passer to break 221 yards. Last week, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had 83 yards rushing, but only 195 yards through the air.
Seattle’s defense has been less consistent against the pass. They started well, but in Week 4, quarterback Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions threw for 292 yards. Last week, passer Daniel Jones and the Giants threw for 257 yards.
Running Back Proposition Bets
Jordan Mason remains the starting running back in San Francisco, as the Christian McCaffrey injury drags into a second month. Mason has an over/under on Thursday of 82.5 rushing yards, which is well below his season average. Only once has he failed to go for as many as 89 yards, and three times he’s gone for at least 100 yards.
Mason is a -200 anytime touchdown scorer, and is paying +425 as the game’s first touchdown scorer.
For Seattle, the lead back is Kenneth Walker III. He’s -125 to score a touchdown in the game, and +600 to score the game’s first touchdown. His over/under on yards rushing is 64.5, which is less than what he’s run for in two of the three games he’s played.
Pass Catcher Proposition Bets
Seattle’s defense has been pretty good at shutting down top pass catchers this season. Against the Dolphins, Tyreek Hill was held to 40 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Lions had just 45 yards. Tight end Sam LaPorta had 53 yards in that same game.
But last week, the Seahawks gave up 122 yards and a touchdown to New York wide receiver Darius Slayton, and that bodes well for the great wide receivers on the 49ers. Brandon Aiyuk has an over/under of 64.5 yards, Deebo Samuel is at 56.5 yards, George Kittle is at 49.5, and keep an eye on Jauan Jennings at 28.5 yards.
Jennings was held to one catch for 13 yards last week, but he had 88 in Week 4, and 175 in Week 3. Last week, Aiyuk also had his biggest game of the season, going for 147 yards on eight catches.
DK Metcalf took a step back last week with just 55 yards against the Giants. But in the three weeks prior to that, he went for 129, 104, and 104. His over/under for Thursday is 64.5.
Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have been much less consistent than Metcalf, and their game lines reflect this. Lockett is at 43.5 and JSN is 47.5. Lockett has gone over his number three times, including each of the last two weeks. JSN had 117 yards in Week 2 and 51 yards in Week 4. But in his other three games, he has failed to get over 40.
Anytime touchdown odds pay +120 on Samuel, +130 on Aiyuk, and +140 for Kittle. Metcalf is +145, JSN is +205, and Lockett is paying +240.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.