There's nothing like starting out the regular season than facing a division opponent.
That is exactly what the San Francisco 49ers are doing when they hit the road to face the Seattle Seahawks. Usually, the 49ers have been facing the Seahawks in Seattle in primetime lately.
Week 1 in 2025 puts an end to it, and it's likely because the Seahawks aren't expected to be that entertaining. Their defense looks like it will be a force, but their offense is a different story.
That is likely why Pro Football Network predicts that the 49ers will beat the Seahawks in Week 1. Here is their explanation.
"These NFC West games are seemingly always tight, and that makes a handicap this far in advance a bit of a fool’s errand. That said, San Francisco has covered three straight trips to Seattle and enters this season with more continuity. During the first half of last year, the 49ers ranked fifth in non-blitzed pressure rate, and if they can regain that form, they stand to make Sam Darnold’s team debut an uncomfortable one.
"I’m actually bullish on what Darnold can do with this offense, but I suspect it’ll take some time as he transitions away from the offensive genius that is Kevin O’Connell. We are a ways away from it, but this is the sort of team that I could see struggling early, resetting during the bye (Week 8), and then being a profitable team to back."
This is a perfectly sensible explanation. Sam Darnold is going into an offense that isn't as offense-friendly as the Minnesota Vikings.
Likely, he struggles early on, especially since the 49ers are familiar with him. They are also familiar with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
The one pushback I would have on the 49ers defeating the Seahawks is that they have a history of starting their season out slow. It has never mattered who their opponent is.
So long as the 49ers come out sharp, they should emerge from Lumen Field as the victors.