2023 NFL Season, Week 12: Seahawks face 49ers in huge Thanksgiving home game

The Seahawks could take first-place in the NFC West with a win, or risk serious playoff jeopardy with a loss.

The Seattle Seahawks (6-4) wasted a golden opportunity to strengthen their playoff positioning last Sunday, losing a 17-16 heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Rams. To make matters worse, Seattle also lost running back Kenneth Walker III to an oblique strain, while quarterback Geno Smith will gut it out for the foreseeable future with an elbow injury.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks don’t get a reprieve. Consecutive Thursday night games are on the horizon, starting with a Thanksgiving evening showdown with the San Francisco 49ers (7-3), whose three-game losing streak seems like a distant memory. Brock Purdy is sharp, the defense (albeit with the loss of Talanoa Hufanga to a torn ACL) is humming, and they look unstoppable again. Seattle was super swept by San Francisco last season and scarcely had the lead. It would take a herculean effort to end that losing streak this year.

What’s at stake? Seattle leads the NFC West on a tiebreaker with a win over San Francisco. However, a loss could drop the Seahawks’ playoff odds below 50 percent pending the outcomes of other games. The 49ers could be two games clear of Seattle with a head-to-head tiebreaker before their Week 14 rematch.

DraftKings Sportsbook has the Seahawks as a heavy 6.5-point underdog with the over/under currently at 43 points.

Game Coverage Seahawks vs. 49ers airs live on NBC at 5:20 PM PT on Thursday, November 23, with commentary from Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth (sideline reporter: Melissa Stark). This is the place to follow Seahawks-49ers game coverage.