A division as difficult as the NFC West has become cannot be won in Week 1. But winning or losing the first divisional matchup of the season can go a long way towards hopes of a division title being made or broken.
Such is the challenge faced by the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, who are once again pitted in what is expected to be one of pro football’s toughest divisions in 2025. With the Los Angeles Rams coming off of an NFC West title in 2024 after a tight battle with the 49ers, Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, there is little margin for error with any team in the NFL’s incubator of new-age, West Coast football.
After a down year plagued by injuries, the 49ers will try to take the NFC West crown back in 2025 and reach the Super Bowl for the third time in coach Kyle Shanahan’s tenure. Meanwhile, the Seahawks enter a new season with a new face at quarterback, as Sam Darnold takes over following his breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024.
Where to watch 49ers vs. Seahawks live
When: Sun., Sept. 7 | Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where: Lumen Field — Seattle, Washington
TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Follow along:Â CBS Sports App
Odds:Â 49ers -1.5Â | O/U 43.5 (via DraftKings)
Christian McCaffrey’s calf injury could derail your fantasy team and the 49ers season before it even starts
Douglas Clawson
49ers vs. Seahawks: Need to know
How will Christian McCaffrey’s calf hold up? The 49ers reaching their potential as a team arguably hinges on a return to form for All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and one of the league’s greatest dual threat running backs of the last decade. After CMC’s 2024 season was completely derailed by injuries, a scare arose on the injury report Thursday when McCaffrey was limited with a calf injury. However, McCaffrey returned to practice on Friday, offering some reassurance that any issue with his calf may not be severe.
For all the razzle dazzle that Kyle Shanahan’s system and playcalling provides, arguably nothing is more important to the success of the 49ers offense than a healthy McCaffrey. This is especially true after this past offseason, which saw the 49ers trade wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders and leave quarterback Brock Purdy without one of the elite playmakers that he had relied on since taking over under center in 2022.
Which Sam Darnold will show up? At this time last year, Darnold was considered an afterthought among NFL quarterbacks, written off after flaming out as the No. 3-overall pick by the New York Jets in 2018 and seemingly bound to become a career backup. That was, until he got the opportunity to start for the Minnesota Vikings and broke out with a Pro Bowl season. In a talented Vikings offense, Darnold was as good as any quarterback in football for most of the season. But he regressed over the final few weeks, and in a first-round playoff he took nine sacks and turned the ball over twice. Still, Darnold’s 2024 performance earned him a three-year, $100.5 million contract with the Seahawks, and he will have the opportunity to show that he is more than just a one-year wonder.
49ers vs. Seahawks prediction, pick
The 49ers are a -2.5 favorite in this matchup, and I would feel good about those odds so long as Christian McCaffrey plays. When he was healthy — and when he, George Kittle and Deebo Samuel were all together — the 49ers barely lost from the time they traded for him midway through 2022 and the time they made Super Bowl LXIII at the end of 2023. Even if the loss of Deebo Samuel to the Commanders proves to hamper quarterback Brock Purdy, I doubt the 49ers will have much trouble moving the ball on the Seahawks so long as McCaffrey is out there. But I cannot say the same for Seattle’s offense since I do not expect Darnold to be the same quarterback he was under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota.
Prediction: 49ers -1.5