Seahawks vs. 49ers score, live updates: TV channel, start time, inactives, latest news, predictions and odds

San Francisco and Seattle both enter tonight riding six-game winning streaks, battling for the NFC West title and No. 1 seed in the conference at Levi’s Stadium.
Follow along for live updates and real-time analysis from The Athletic’s team of reporters.
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN, ABC
Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now!)
Get NFL tickets on StubHub
Share your thoughts on the game at live@theathletic.com and check out The Athletic’s live coverage schedule for this week.
Second-year tight end AJ Barner has become a staple of the Seahawks’ offense and has shown a clear chemistry with Sam Darnold.
The 23-year-old enters the night with 50 catches for 505 yards and six touchdowns this season, having found the end zone in his past two games. Barner only got three targets against Carolina but was efficient with those opportunities, catching all three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown.
He is facing a San Francisco defense tonight that struggled to cover Coltson Loveland last week against the Bears.
Spread: Seattle Seahawks (-1.5)
The Seahawks have a much better consolation prize than the 49ers, as they get to face the NFC South winner if they lose Saturday. They also have the better team, as their defense is No. 1 in EPA per play allowed. The 49ers stole a win in Seattle in the opener when they had Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, and they have the worst pass rush in the league without them. Sam Darnold is averaging a league-best 9.4 yards per attempt from a clean pocket.
The pick: Seahawks
Jake Tonges stepped in at tight end for an injured George Kittle in Week 17 against the Bears and played a critical part in the 49ers’ win.
With the 49ers’ starting tight end out with an ankle injury, the 26-year-old backup was targeted nine times, catching seven passes for 60 yards, including a touchdown on San Francisco’s second possession of the night.
Kittle’s importance to this offense is well-known, but having a tight end who is capable of stepping in and contributing is significant for San Francisco.
Ricky Pearsall has battled through persistent knee injuries this season, and that continued against the Bears, but the second-year wideout produced regardless.
He set the tone on Sunday with an early chunk play but limped to the sideline. Pearsall did not let that keep him out of the game, however, returning to action and totaling five catches for 85 yards, consistently finding gaps in Chicago’s defense.
If he can stay healthy, he gives Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan even more options in this dynamic offense, especially tonight against a strong Seahawks defense.
Receiver Ricky Pearsall and tackle Trent Williams are among the 49ers ruled out for today’s battle for the top seed in the NFL.
Williams’ absence was expected after he suffered a hamstring strain on the first play of Sunday’s win over the Bears and didn’t practice throughout the week. Austen Pleasants will start at left tackle with practice squadder Brandon Parker serving as backup.
Pearsall is more of a surprise considering he played on his bad knee on Sunday and was limited all three days of practice. Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne will likely start with Demarcus Robinson, Skyy Moore and Jordan Watkins also available.
49ers inactives:
T Trent Williams (hamstring)
WR Ricky Pearsall (knee)
DT Kevin Givens
RB Isaac Guerendo
DE Robert Beal Jr.
LB Curtis Robinson
CB Chase Lucas
Zach Charbonnet is coming off his best game of the season by a significant margin. In Week 17 against Carolina, the 24-year-old running back eclipsed 100-plus rushing yards for the first time this campaign, totaling 118 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
He continues to split the backfield with Kenneth Walker III and has gotten most of Seattle’s goal-line touches throughout the year.
San Francisco’s running game has been unlocked down the stretch, making this offense borderline unstoppable with the way Brock Purdy has been playing.
Here’s more on the 49ers’ ground game, which put together a massive game on Sunday despite missing Trent Williams and George Kittle.
During pre-game, I’ll be watching to see if left tackle Trent Williams is taking part. Williams was walking with a pronounced limp after Sunday’s win over the Bears, but by week’s end the limp was gone and his prospects of playing seemed to be improving. He’s officially questionable for the game. If he can’t go, journeyman Austen Pleasants would make his first-ever NFL start. Pleasants looked fine against the Bears but the Seahawks have a far better defense and had six days to scour Pleasants’ film for weaknesses. The 49ers’ run game, plodding at the start of the season, has caught fire in recent weeks. It will be interesting to see if they can sustain it, especially if Williams is not there.
You know a wide receiver is having a special season when nine catches for 72 yards qualifies as a mediocre game, and that’s certainly true of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
He put up a decent stat line against Carolina in Week 17, but during the course of the season, he and Puka Nacua have been the two most productive wideouts in the sport.
JSN enters tonight’s game with 113 catches for 1,709 yards and 10 touchdowns. In Week 1 against the 49ers, he caught nine passes for 124 yards.
Christian McCaffrey enters tonight’s game coming off two straight dynamic performances. Last week, on “Sunday Night Football” against the Bears, he put up 181 scrimmage yards, rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, breaking off his longest run of the season (41 yards) along the way. McCaffrey also caught four passes for 41 yards on six targets. A week prior against the Colts, he totaled 146 scrimmage yards and two receiving scores.
McCaffrey continues to prove that he is as versatile and elite an offensive player as the league has to offer.