Can Seattle Seahawks Give Big Competition To The San Francisco 49ers?

Current trends indicate that San Francisco 49ers are the ones to bet on, after their exemplary performance last year. They are the NFC West champions, Conference champions, and the Super Bowl runners-up. The Seattle Seahawks are the second-best bet current in the NFC West and aren’t ranked too highly to win the Super Bowl. Let us take a look at whether the 2020 season will fare any differently from the Seahawks and whether they can get ahead of the 49ers.

The 49ers are Here to Stay.

The 49ers were the surprise team of the year, outdoing expectations of experts and fans. They razed through the season and toppled several NFL odds to finish with 13-3 and No. 1 seed in the conference. They won the NFC Conference by beating the Packers and lost out on the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

The Super Bowl game was a close one - with less than 9 minutes to go, the Niners had a 10 point lead over the Chiefs. The trophy slipped out of their hands when Patrick Mahomes went all out and played a beast of a game to clinch the Super Bowl. But the Niners aren’t considered a sneaky threat anymore. They have proven their worth and will now be expected to perform. 

Despite some changes to their roster, the quality of players is high up there to maintain their No. 2 defense ranking and No. 1 pass defense ranking. Their gameplay was highly supported by the defense, which is different from how other teams play in the NFL. But the formula worked for them, so there is no need to doubt it. If their defense can stand strong in 2020 as well, the Niners are sure to have another double-digit number of wins this season. 

How the Seattle Seahawks Compare.

Let us be real about how the so-called pundits look at the Seahawks. For some reason, their performance in the past few years has always been predicted to be worse than they actually perform. This gives bettors an advantage because they can wager for good value. But despite these outlooks, the Seahawks have always been high up and considered a threat by many teams. It could be Russell Wilson’s prowess that brings them up too.

In the 2018 season, the bookies predicted a poor 7.5 season win total for the Seahawks. Adding insult to injury, those were the lowest odds for the team since 2014 and significantly lower than the 10.5 wins prediction from the 2017 season. These odds were poorly thought out because the Seahawks won 10-6 that season and got a playoff spot. Wilson showed the team and the fans just how much value he brought to the team. But their 2019 odds were improved only by one point to 8.5, despite a 10-6 win.

This time, they beat the odds once again to win 11-5 that season. They were very close to clinching a 12-4 SU but they lost that pivotal game to none other than the Niners. It was a ridiculously close game, where they lost at the end moment. But over six seasons, they have had a great run with double-digit wins every season but one. That one season ended with 9 wins. That level of consistency is commendable and should bring confidence to fans. 

Their team is built around Russell Wilson and his capability to overcome anything. Despite the team’s roster changing very often and people going in and out, Wilson has been able to hold the team to his standards and put his best foot forward. As long as Wilson is well and playing, the team has nothing to fear.

Which Team is Going to Beat the Other?

2020 is a new season all-together. Despite odds being put forth and predictions floating around, only when the season starts will people have a real understanding of how this season will go. The division won’t just be about the 49ers and the Seahawks. The Rams are strong contenders - they did come runners-up in the 2018 Super Bowl, and their form hasn’t let up yet. The Cardinals are also looking good, taking advantage of Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray’s second season playing with each other. But when you are looking to pick between these two teams and predict which of the two will end the season with more regular-season wins, it becomes all the more difficult to pick one. Both the teams are miles ahead of the others for odds on the total number of bets, so, you can’t go wrong picking either.