49ers vs. Seahawks prediction: NFL Divisional round props, picks, best bet

I’d say it’s easier to list who is healthy over who is injured for the 49ers at this point as they prepare for the Divisional Round against the Seahawks on Saturday night. 

For bookkeeping’s sake, we’ll list them anyway: On defense alone, Robert Saleh is missing Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Tatum Bethune, Nick Martin and Ji’Ayir Brown, in addition to lingering concerns with Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), Keion White (groin), Luke Gifford (questionable, quad) and Dee Winters (questionable, ankle). 

It’s an epidemic that rivals the Lions’ nightmare in last year’s playoffs. 

But for as much uncertainty as there is around the 49ers, who own FanDuel’s longest Super Bowl odds at 20/1, the same can be said for Sam Darnold. 

Darnold was listed as questionable earlier in the week due to an oblique injury he sustained in practice. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Drew Lock took first reps Wednesday and Thursday and is ready to step in if Darnold can’t go.

If Darnold is a go, he’ll enter his second career playoff start after leading the Seahawks, Super Bowl favorites priced at +280 odds, to a 14-3 finish

It marks back-to-back seasons where Darnold has reached 14 wins as the starting quarterback for a new team.

The magic instantly ceased on playoff turf, however, as Darnold struggled mightily with decision-making under pressure and was sacked nine times and lost two turnovers in a 27-9 ousting from the postseason at the hands of the Rams last year.

Now, for as efficient as the Seahawks have been, Darnold warrants pause.

This Seattle club didn’t require him to steal games with video game numbers in order to clinch the NFC’s top seed; Darnold was required to function within a tight ship that won with structure and margin control. 

The offense stayed ahead of the chains with a methodical run game and quick-rhythm passing. Darnold posted the best completion percentage of his career, but his yards per game average took a 16-yard hit. 

Although he cleared 233.5 passing yards in 10 of 17 games, he didn’t top 200 in both meetings with the 49ers and failed to throw a touchdown in those games despite excellent completion rates. Those games were the first and final contests of Seattle’s regular season. 

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Considering what is left of San Francisco’s pass rush, Saleh is going to have to get creative by abandoning comfort and gambling on aggression to force Darnold into mistakes.

With last year’s playoff stinker in mind, the Seahawks’ No. 1 priority will be minimizing Darnold’s exposure to turnovers since turnovers are the most realistic path to this 49ers unit flipping the game.

Seattle has one of the best run-blocking lines in the NFL, and with the 49ers front missing some key defenders, I’m also pressed to see how the offense wouldn’t lean on Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. The one-two punch backfield averaged 850 yards between them and amassed 17 scores. 

And after gashing San Francisco for 180 rushing yards right before the bye week, I’m looking for Darnold’s role to be more of a complementary one.

THE PLAY: Sam Darnold Under 233.5 Passing Yards (-114, FanDuel)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.