49ers favored over Seahawks in battle of NFC West heavyweights

We’ve had a lot of disappointing Monday Night Football games this year, but this one does not qualify. Can the 49ers, the last unbeaten team in the league, remain unblemished against their NFC West rivals? Jimmy Garoppolo has been more than serviceable, but Russell Wilson has been playing like the MVP of the league.

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers MNF odds

The offensive backfield starts to even up a bit when you factor in the running backs. Seattle’s is a two-back outfit, with Chris Carson as the No. 1 and Rashaad Penny spelling him. But San Francisco has three guys it can count on in Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert, and they are each cast in a different mold.

The 49ers have eight players who have more 100 yards receiving this year, but tight end George Kittle has more than twice as many receptions and yards as their No. 2 guy, Deebo Samuel. If Kittle doesn’t play or is severely limited, San Francisco can become one dimensional. Couple this with the addition of wide receiver Josh Gordon to the Seahawks, and you may have a pretty big discrepancy in pass-catching ability between the teams.

San Francisco's offensive line gives it an edge

The 49ers are getting healthy on the OL (Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey are both expected to return). Before they went down with injuries, this was the top unit in the league. There is a clear edge here for San Francisco, but continuity is a huge aspect when determining success, so I wonder if it will take a game or two before they return to form. Shifting the focus to the defensive line, one of the top pass rushes will be fun to watch against Wilson.

Seattle defense isn't to be taken lightly

Seattle has one of the best linebacker units in the league. Bobby Wagner is a Pro Bowler and his running mates, Mychal Kendricks and K.J. Wright, are also playing at a high level. You’d have to give a considerable edge to them over the 49ers’ trio of Fred Warner, Kwon Alexander and Dre Greenlaw.

But an even greater edge in the third level goes to San Francisco, which has four of the top 15 cornerbacks in the league, as rated by Pro Football Focus (Richard Sherman, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Moseley). Seattle’s highest-rated corner, Shaquill Griffin, is ranked 21st. How much of this has to do with the 49ers’ dominant pass rush remains to be seen, but there is no putting lipstick on the pig that is Seattle’s secondary, which yielded 460 yards passing to Matt Schaub just two weeks ago.

The final large edge in special teams goes to Seattle, where kicker Jason Myers and punter Michael Dickson are among the best in the league. Meanwhile, Robbie Gould may be out for San Francisco and Mitch Wishnowsky has been rather dreadful.

Seattle vs. San Francisco is an analyst's dream

This should be an absolute doozy of a game. Will Kittle play and be effective? Will Wilson be able to mitigate the disadvantages presented by the 49ers’ defense? Will Wagner be able to stay clean against Pro Bowl offensive linemen aiming for second-level blocks? Will Seattle carve out a substantial edge in special teams? It’s an analyst’s dream game.

The Seahawks have been playing with fire for weeks, and I cannot get Schaub’s 460 yards passing out of my head. Seattle isn't lining up against Atlanta this week.

Pick: San Francisco -6

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