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After Signing Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks Remain 3-Point Underdogs vs 49ers in Week 17

Daniel Coyle

by Daniel Coyle in NFL Football

Updated Mar 24, 2020 · 3:39 PM PDT

Marshawn Lynch
The signing of Marshawn Lynch fills a massive hole in the Seattle Seahawks' backfield, but the return of Beast Mode has failed to lift Seattle's odds in its Week 17 clash with the San Francisco 49ers. Photo by Kelly Bailey (Wiki Commons).
  • Decimated by injuries, the Seattle Seahawks have brought Marshawn Lynch out of retirement
  • Lynch has not seen NFL action since October 2018
  • The signing of Lynch and veteran Robert Turbin has failed to lift the Seahawks on the NFL Week 17 odds

Plagued by injuries that have decimated their backfield, the Seattle Seahawks have recruited a familiar face to fill the void, inking Marshawn Lynch to a contract for the remainder of this season. However, the addition of the two-time NFL rushing touchdowns leader has failed to buoy Seattle’s odds in its Week 17 clash with the San Francisco, with the Seahawks remaining stalled at 3-point home underdogs.

NFL Week 17 – 49ers vs Seahawks Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
San Francisco 49ers -3 (-123) -180 Ov 47 (-108)
Seattle Seahawks +3 (+103) +160 Un 47 (-112)

Odds taken Dec. 24

Injury Woes Go from Bad to Worse

Seattle was already faced with major injury concerns heading into its Week 16 date with the Arizona Cardinals. In addition to the loss of receiver Josh Gordon and defensive tackle Al Woods to suspensions, the Seahawks saw running backs Chris Carson and CJ Prosise both suffer season-ending injuries in their 27-13 loss to Arizona, joining Rashaad Penny, who saw his season ended by a torn ACL two weeks ago.

While the news of Lynch’s return to Seattle, where he played from 2010 to 2015, along with the signing of another former Seahawks rusher, Robert Turbin, will come as a relief to Seattle football fans, it has failed to boost the team at the sportsbooks. San Francisco was favored by 3 after the injuries to Seattle’s RBs, and has held steady at that position, with the line now supported by strong -123 moneyline odds.

Beast Mode Returns Following Lengthy Layoff

Indeed, it remains to be seen whether either of the veteran rushers coming out of retirement can have a meaningful impact against battle-hardened defenders after lengthy absences from the gridiron.

It has been over 14 months since Beast Mode last saw NFL game action with the Oakland Raiders, in a 27-3 loss to Seattle in October 2018.

It has been over 14 months since Beast Mode last saw NFL game action with the Oakland Raiders, in a 27-3 loss to Seattle in October 2018. In addition, Turbin has made just eight game appearances since the start of the 2017 NFL season, and had just four total carries in a pair of appearances with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018.

49ers Rush Defense Showing Steady Improvement

The newest members of the Seahawks will face a massive challenge in their season debut against a 49ers rush defense that has shown steady improvement as the season has progressed. While the Niners have surrendered at least one scoring run in each of their past four contests, they have otherwise tightened things up considerably, surrendering under 90 rushing yards in each of their past two outings after giving up an average of over 129 rushing yards in their previous 10 outings.

The 49ers also saw the Rams average just 3.0 yards per carry in last weekend’s 34-31 win over Los Angeles, continuing the steady improvement in that department since allowing a season-worst 6.84 yards per carry in their Week 9 date with Carolina.

Niners Enjoying Bettors’ Confidence

Also complicating matters for the Seahawks is the increasing confidence in San Francisco among sports bettors. Since opening the season with outright wins as betting underdogs in three of their first five contests, the Niners have gained momentum at the sportsbooks and have now gone off as favorites in eight of their past ten games.

And with the 49ers avoiding any major injuries in their victory over the Rams as 7-point home chalk, it will take more than Beast Mode coming out of retirement for the Seahawks to regain the confidence of sports bettors between now and Sunday’s matchup at CenturyLink Field.

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