San Francisco @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2012 ) San Francisco 13, Seattle 42

Both the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks opened their regular seasons with narrow victories. Now, the NFC West rivals looks to make it two straight as they face off in a marquee matchup Sunday night at Seattle's CenturyLink Field. The 49ers began defense of their NFC championship with a thrilling 34-28 victory over the Green Bay Packers, while the Seahawks make their home debut Sunday following a 12-7 triumph over the Carolina Panthers.

With the 49ers and Seahawks expected to battle for the division crown, the focus will be on the young quarterbacks. San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick was sensational in Week 1, throwing for a career-best 412 yards and three touchdowns against an overwhelmed Packers defense. Seattle counterpart Russell Wilson wasn't nearly as strong against Carolina - but he didn't have to be, thanks to a stout Seattle defense that limited Carolina to 125 passing yards.

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC. LINE: Seahawks -3. O/U: 44

ABOUT THE 49ERS (1-0): Kaepernick and Wilson may be members of a limited NFL fraternity, but they probably won't be exchanging Christmas cards. When asked about his relationship with the Seattle signal caller earlier this week, Kaepernick responded by saying, "We only met on the (Madden commercial shoot) day," then explained that there was no relationship between the two. The 49ers were the only NFC West team with a winning road record last season (5-3).

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (1-0): When it comes to home-field advantage, no team enjoyed a bigger one last season than the Seahawks. They finished 8-0 at CenturyLink in 2012 and were especially dominant in their final four home games of the campaign, outscoring opponents by a 148-33 margin over that stretch. The home effect was evident when San Francisco visited last season, as the noisy crowd forced Kaepernick to call two first-quarter timeouts.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The teams split two meetings in 2012, with San Francisco prevailing 13-6 at home on Oct. 18 and Seattle cruising to a 42-13 win Dec. 23.

2. San Francisco WR Anquan Boldin, who erupted for 208 receiving yards and a touchdown in his 49ers debut last weekend, has 74 catches 938 yards and two scores in 11 career games against the Seahawks.

3. Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch has rushed for 100 yards in three straight versus the 49ers.

PREDICTION: Seattle 23, San Francisco 21