Predicting the Final Score of the 49ers-Seahawks Playoff Game

The most intriguing part about the 49ers' upcoming playoff isn't the opponent, it's the weather.

The Seahawks aren't good. They've lost eight games and they've the seventh-seed, which wasn't a playoff team until recently. It's the NFL's version of a participation trophy. These Seahawks have faced the 49ers twice this season, lost both times and showed no improvement from Game 1 to Game 2.

But this game will be different because of the weather.

It's supposed to rain in Santa Clara on Saturday. In the morning, it will pour. Then the rain will die down around kickoff, and then it will pick up again in the second half. And as we learned Week 1 when the 49ers lost to the dreadful Bears, funny things happen if it rains hard enough.

That's why the team that leads at halftime very well could win the game. Because if it's a monsoon in the second half, neither team will be able to pass the ball, so each team will take turns running and punting and playing for field position.

So if the 49ers win the coin toss, they should elect to receive the kickoff for a change, that way they can score first and get as many offensive series as possible in the first half when the weather is relatively mild. Usually the 49ers defer to the second when they win the toss. That's a risky strategy this week.

I fully expect the 49ers to take an early lead passing the ball, then to put the game away in the second half with the powerful running of Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason. Seattle's best chance to move the ball will be to throw the ball deep and hope for penalties.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: 49ers 23, Seahawks 13.