Seahawks (-140) Given Best Odds to Win NFC West After Week 13, Niners Listed at +120
- Sportsbooks list the Seattle Seahawks as -140 favorites to win the NFC West
- The 10-2 Seahawks lead the division by virtue of a tiebreaker over the 10-2 San Francisco 49ers
- The NFC West is the only division to house three teams with winning records
The Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West, and they control their own fate.
When the Seahawks outscored the Minnesota Vikings 37-30 on Monday Night Football, it moved them to the top of the division. Both Seattle and San Francisco are 10-2 but the Seahawks hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 27-24 win over the 49ers in Week 11.
If the Seahawks win out, they also win the division. And sportsbooks are favoring them to do exactly that. They have moved the Seahawks to the chalk in the NFC West odds at -140.
2019 NFC West Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | -140 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +120 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +5000 |
| Arizona Cardinals | N/A |
Odds taken on December 3.
It’s the first time all season that Seattle has been the favorite to win the division. The Niners held forth as the chalk since taking over from the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 14.
NFC West Is Best
The NFC West is the only NFL division this season that currently houses three teams with winning records. Both the Seahawks and 49ers are virtual locks to make the playoffs. After them, the Rams are 7-5.
The Rams started the season 3-0 and have won two of their last three games to pull to within a game of the Vikings for the second NFC wild card playoff position.
.@DangeRussWilson leads the Seahawks past the Vikings, to the top of the NFC West at 10-2.
Seattle takes care of business, winning 37-30 on MNF. @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/0UWpMJ31SA
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 3, 2019
Last season, the Rams were the NFC Super Bowl representative. In fact, all three of these teams have gone to the Super Bowl over the past seven seasons.
The Niners played the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47. The Seahawks won Super Bowl 48 and lost Super Bowl 49.
Go West!
An important NFC West showdown is coming at you next week on Sunday Night Football. @seahawks @ramsnfl pic.twitter.com/RyJujfORxX
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 2, 2019
The NFC South (Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons) are the only other NFL division to send more than one team to the Super Bowl over that same seven-year span.
In fact, if you take it back 11 years to Super Bowl 43, when the Arizona Cardinals lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, all four NFC West squads have played in the big game.
Seahawks Control Fate
There’s so little to choose between Seattle and San Francisco. The Seahawks have won five in a row and eight of nine games. The Niners are 2-2 in their last four but were unbeaten before that.
Seattle’s two losses were to the 10-2 Baltimore Ravens and 10-2 New Orleans Saints. San Francisco’s two losses were to the Ravens and Seahawks.
Seahawks WIn! #1 in the NFC WEST! #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/4qV2JQO5ug
— SeahawksUnited (@SeahawksUnited_) December 3, 2019
The Seahawks, though, maintain an advantage in the two most vital tiebreakers. First of all, there’s that head-to-head win over the 49ers. Secondly, Seattle is perfect 3-0 within the division. San Francisco is 3-1 against NFC West opposition.
Will It All Come Down to Dec. 29?
The 49ers travel to Seattle’s Centurylink Field on Dec. 29 to face the Seahawks in the regular season finale. Will the NFC West title be on the line that day?
San Francisco is in the midst of a tough stretch which has already seen the Niners face the Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Ravens over the past four weeks.
The Seahawks are:
? 10-2
? In first place in the NFC West
? Ahead of the San Francisco 49ers (thanks to head-to-head tiebreaker)
? The No. 2 seed in the NFChttps://t.co/rGTLRUt5q1 pic.twitter.com/zhisSrjfzr— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) December 3, 2019
This week, San Francisco gets the Saints. The 49ers’ remaining opponents are a combined 20-16 (.556). The Seahawks’ road to the season ender isn’t nearly as bumpy, as they face opponents that are a combined 15-20-1 (.431).
Still, the only way this is decided before Week 17 is if one team runs the table (3-0) and the other goes at least 1-2.
At home with all the marbles on the line, are you going to bet against Seattle and the 12th man?
Pick: Seattle Seahawks (-140).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
