Analyzing the Seahawks and 49ers

This Sunday's NFC Championship game match up between bitter division rivals will send the winner to the Super Bowl and the loser to wallow in heartbreak.

Whether you believe it or not, Seattle's '12th Man' home field advantage is a tremendous upper-hand for the Seahawks.  The world-record-breaking noise that Seahawks fans produce gives Seattle's defense a decided leg up on opposing offenses.

What it ultimately comes down to is the game plan of the coaches and the execution by the players.  The crowd noise, the weather and all other outside forces will indeed be a factor but the outcome of the game will be determined by the men on the field.

Here's a position by position look at each team:




Quarterbacks--  If the question were simply 'who is a better human being' Russell Wilson would win without question. I'm sure by now you've all seen this charming info-graphic. Unfortunately, being a pretentious douche and being a talented athlete aren't mutually exclusive. Colin Kaepernick is a phenomenal athlete-- but I think he's very average as a quarterback.  His strong arm and his ability to make big plays with his legs are tremendously diminished by Seattle's defense and the 12th Man. When he's confined to the pocket and forced to rely on his ability to read the defense to make plays, he becomes remarkably mediocre. Don't agree with me?  Well, its important to remember the 49ers have never won in Seattle with Kaepernick under center.

Advantage: Seahawks

Wide Receivers-- The 49ers will have a healthy Michael Crabtree at their disposal this Sunday while the status of Percy Harvin remains in jeopardy for Seattle. The acquisition of Anquan Boldin last offseason has paid off tremendously.  San Francisco gave up a measly 6th round pick to acquire him and his performance this season got him recognized as a Pro Bowl alternate.  Seattle, as with every other position group, has San Francisco beat on depth of talent, but the 49ers have more talent at the top of their roster in this group.

Advantage: 49ers


Tight Ends-- Seattle and San Francisco use their tight ends in different ways.  For example, the 49ers list 5 Tight Ends on their roster (with one of them being a DT/TE hybrid) while Seattle goes with just 3. The 49ers have Pro Bowler Vernon Davis, whose extreme athleticism and dynamic pass-catching abilities create huge mismatches against linebackers and make him more of a receiver than a tight end. The guys listed below him on their depth chart are primarily used as blockers, often times lining up in the backfield like a fullback.  Seattle's Zach Miller and rookie Luke Willson are as gifted as they are versatile, helping the offense in the passing and run game. While Davis is probably the best weapon for his offense, these teams come close to a 'draw' here.  I'll give the advantage to San Francisco.

Advantage: 49ers

Running Backs-- These teams are incredibly evenly matched when it comes to run production.  Both have a dominating veteran, both have quarterbacks that can run with the ball and both have near identical statistics on the season.  The big difference is between Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch.  Gore is 30 years old-- 3 years a senior to Lynch.  Gore has also been plagued with injuries throughout his career, although you wouldn't know it looking at the numbers he continually puts up.  When the production is this close, you have to give it to the younger guy who is playing at home.

Advantage: Seahawks

Offensive Line--This is the only position group where San Francisco has a clear and obvious advantage.  Seattle has a pair of studs in Russell Okung and Max Unger, but beyond that and projecting to next season, we could see some new faces.  San Francisco has benefited from a decade of miserable seasons netting high draft picks and they have parlayed that into a stout offensive front.

Advantage: 49ers

Defensive Line--The 49ers once dominant defensive line has been knocked down a few pegs thanks to free agency and father time. Don't get me wrong-- they're still one of the best, but Seattle has a veritable cornucopia of personnel packages that they can roll out to stymie any look you give them.   

Advantage: Seahawks

Linebackers-- The 49ers linebackers are the identity of their defense.  NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis are among the best duos ever to take the field.  With that being said, I think Seattle's Bobby Wagner should be in legitimate contention for Defensive Player of the Year.  If KJ Wright were healthy, I might even swing this group in the Seahawks' favor, but as much as Bruce Irvin and Malcom Smith bring to the table, its hard to overlook Bowman and Willis.

Advantage: 49ers

Secondary-- No contest here.  The 2013 Seattle secondary is, without question, the best I've ever seen.  Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Byron Maxwell, Jeremy Lane, Walter Thurmond and the since-suspended Brandon Browner have been nothing short of outstanding all season. I would take Seattle's secondary over any team's group.

Advantage: Seahawks

Special Teams-- As far as the return game goes, Seattle has very much ran their special teams by committee. While neither team has scored on kick or punt returns, Seattle does have more yards. They've also allowed less yards. It's a travesty that Andy Lee made the Pro Bowl (albeit, as an alternate) and Jon Ryan didn't.

Advantage: Seahawks

Coaching Staff-- Given the recent success of the 49ers, its easy to understand why so much praise has been heaped on Jim Harbaugh.  However, when you look beyond the production that we've seen since Carroll and Harbaugh entered the NFC West, you'll find that one coach has done far more work than the other.  Like I stated before, as I have many times in previous blogs, Harbaugh was the beneficiary of a team that amassed it's talent through10 years of consistently picking in the top part of the draft. Carroll, on the other hand, took over an aging team that was just starting to come down from a decade of divisional dominance.  You can't argue against the job Harbaugh has done.  He's effectively coached up a talented roster into a winning program while filling in the missing pieces.  Hell, he took the team to the Super Bowl in his second season.  Carroll had to blow up the team and start from scratch. Carroll has done more with less and done it his own way. 

Advantage: Seahawks


When you get right down to it-- these teams are about as evenly matched in elite talent as you could possibly get.  Anyone who considers themselves to be a fan of the game of football must be frothing at the mouth for this game, even if they don't have a dog in the fight.  Still, I firmly believe that we're beginning to see the slow downfall of the 49ers being eclipsed by the rise of the Seahawks.  Seattle has the edge on personnel as well as the advantage of the 12th Man.  The truth will be told Sunday evening but Seahawks fans should have extraordinary confidence that their team will prevail.