I know I wrote about this when we reached the first milestone of the year, but I truly can’t believe we are about to enter the final quarter of the season. It always feels fast — such is the nature of routine — but the oddities of this year have carried through from the start, and I think they have helped make this year appear to have gone by even more quickly than we claim in the past.
Where we see this the most is in the historical context of many teams and players. The Packers are a good example, as we spent so many weeks waiting for them to be better. Quarterback Russell Wilson of the Broncos has had the same experience, but with a player instead of a team.
We are obviously well past the point of the year where turnarounds can be expected and, like the teams themselves, we now need to set our sights on what lies ahead of us. We, too, aim to finish the year on a high note.
Below are predictions for each game against the spread. Spreads have been taken from various websites and are subject to change. The spread in parenthesis denotes the selected team. Spread is listed as advertised number and odds at either DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, or PointsBet. All efforts were made to provide picks at -110 or better, with some stretching to a -125 if no reasonable advertised spread was found.
*Confidence Picks – 2022 Season: 36-43-4 (Last Week: 2-3)
(2021 Season: 55-50) (2020 Season: 53-42-3) (2019 Season: 57-43-3) (2018 Season: 63-48-4) (2017 Season: 53-48-4) (2016 Season: 53-67-3) (2015 Season: 69-45-2) (2014 Season: 61-46-2) (8-Year Total: 464-389-21)
All Picks Against Spread – 2022 Season: 102-98-8 (Last Week: 6-7)
(2021 Season: 158-126-2) (2020 Season: 132-128-7) (2019 Season: 142-118-7) (2018 Season: 137-118-12) (2017 Season: 137-119-11) (2016 Season: 123-136-8) (2015 Season: 143-117-7) (2014 Season: 149-114-4) (8-Year Total: 1121-976-58)
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
Approximately one month ago, if you had looked at the standings for the NFC, the one team that appeared likely to make a move into the playoff picture was the San Francisco 49ers. They were playing well, had the league’s best defense, and had two routes to a postseason appearance. The division was still within reach, but it would require one of the league’s best stories to have a downward spiral.
That’s exactly what happened to the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle was 6-3 before traveling to Germany to take on the Buccaneers. After the loss, it then went on a bye and returned home as favorites. Another loss later and the Seahawks could only find a victory against backup quarterback John Wolford of the Rams before losing to the Panthers. It was a 1-3 stretch that, coupled with San Francisco’s six-game winning streak not only turned over control of the division but did so without a fight. The Seahawks are now multiple games behind the 49ers and running out of time. Another head-to-head loss would knock Seattle out of the divisional race.
Good thing that the Seahawks are playing at home on national television.