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The San Francisco 49ers will hope to avoid falling into a two-game deficit against the Seattle Seahawks when the teams meet in Seattle on “Thursday Night Football.”

A stunning 24-23 home loss to Arizona in Week 5 dropped the reigning NFC champion 49ers to 2-3 as San Francisco squandered a 13-point halftime lead.

Seattle (3-2) holds the edge in the NFC West standings but is at risk of coming back to Earth on the heels of a 3-0 start. The Seahawks have lost two straight, including last week’s 29-20 loss to the New York Giants.

How do things stack up for this key divisional game? Let’s take a look.

Throw, Geno, throw

We surely will hear during the telecast that today marks Seattle quarterback Geno Smith’s 34th birthday.

What we may not see—if only because his facemask obscures it—are numerous giddy expressions on Smith’s face as he takes aim against a vulnerable pass defense.

A wrist injury to San Francisco safety Talanoa Hufanga has sent him to injured reserve and thrust rookie Malik Mustapha into the lineup. The 49ers’ defensive backfield hasn’t snagged an interception this season, and Smith is completing 71.9% of his passes, nearly eight percentage points better than over his career.

Smith has topped the 300-yard passing threshold twice and come within at least 16 yards of matching it in two other games. With Tyler Lockett coming off a four-catch, 75-yard effort against the Giants and the rest of the receiving corps showing consistency, expect Smith to reap the benefits with a big day.

Geno Smith over 300 passing yards (+260) at BetMGM

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Mason back to paydirt

After visiting the end zone in three of his first four games, 49ers running back Jordan Mason had more lost fumbles (one) than touchdowns (zero) against Arizona.

On Thursday, he figures to bounce back against a Seahawks defense that will be without cornerback Riq Woolen, linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. Linebackers Derick Hall and Boye Mafe are questionable, as is safety Julian Love.

Mason will test Seattle’s defensive depth throughout the night and be rewarded with a new career high in TDs.

Jordan Mason anytime touchdown (-175) at BetMGM

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Pointed affair

San Francisco boasts a five-game winning streak in the series, postseason included, and won twice in the span of three weeks last season.

Both 49ers victories came by double digits, with the teams combining for 44 points each time.

Things figure to be a bit more high-scoring Thursday. The defenses on both sides are banged up, while quarterback play for both has been solid in many spots.

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy leads an attack that averages 407.4 yards per game, second in the NFL, while his 1,374 passing yards are fourth in the league.

Seattle is seventh in the NFL in total offense at 376.2 yards a game.

Everything adds up to the “over” in this one.

Over 49.5 total points (-110) at BetMGM


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