Bet Seahawks to Snatch Up NFC West Title Away From 49ers with Jimmy Garoppolo Out

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith caught the attention of NFL fans and bettors as early as Week 1, throwing for two touchdowns on 23-28 passing in Seattle's upset home victory over the Denver Broncos in Russell Wilson's return to Lumen Field.

During his postgame interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, Smith was asked about all those who "wrote him off," over his long NFL career, responding with a grin as if he'd been asked to finally drop the perfect bar on a song release:

"They wrote me off, I ain't write back though. That's the problem, I ain't write back, let's go!"

The rest of the league appears to have gotten the memo not. Smith is now the odds-on favorite at consensus sportsbooks to take home the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award at the end of the season.

However, oddsmakers still don't believe Smith's Seahawks can catch up to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West division, despite being just a game out with a head-to-head matchup on the horizon in Week 15. The Seahawks already fell to the 49ers back in Week 2 in Santa Clara by 20, but San Francisco's now lost Jimmy Garoppolo for the remainder of the year, with 7th-round draft pick and Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy asked to steer the ship the rest of the way.

Can the Seahawks actually make this divisional race relevant and potentially cash in down the stretch with big odds?

Odds to Win the NFC West Division

Can the Seahawks Catch the 49ers to Win the NFC West?

The Seahawks have their work cut out for them, but given their upcoming head-to-head matchup in Seattle in Week 15, as well as hosting four out of their remaining five games at home, I'm buying their chances at very good value on the board.

Seattle would almost assuredly need to win the game on their home turf, but outside of those games, they're favored in their Week 14 matchup vs. the Carolina Panthers, and will also likely be favorites at home vs. the New York Jets and L.A. Rams. Assuming they lose to Kansas City on the road, that puts them at 11-6 on the season.

The 49ers, with a loss to Seattle, are short favorites vs. Tampa Bay (for now), and will likely be favorites in all of their remaining games as well. However, Purdy remains the biggest wild card of them all. If he struggles vs. Tampa Bay, while Washington remains hot, there's a chance the 49ers won't be favorites to win in Week 16, even at their home stadium. Meanwhile, their Week 17 opponent, the Las Vegas Raiders, has their offense ranked amongst the best in the NFL over the previous three weeks.

When Kyle Shanahan has Garoppolo under center, the two are amongst the most trusted options in the league to wager on. However, via Brandon Anderson, Shanahan is 20 games under .500 as a head coach without Jimmy G, going 9-29 straight up in 38 games.

Even with an elite level defense, that doesn't paint a pretty picture of what the 49ers' outlook might look like down the stretch.

Need a comparison to come full circle? Check out Russell Wilson's Denver Broncos; tied for the third-worst record in the NFL at 3-9, despite the league's best defensive numbers in opponent points/play, and second in the NFL in yards/play.

I'll put my trust in the hands of Geno Smith at just under 5/1 odds trailing by a game, than in Brock Purdy's holding onto a slight lead.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.