The Front Row with MARK NELKE Dec. 23, 2012

If David Akers hadn't suddenly become so erratic, and Delaney Walker didn't have such butterfingers, there wouldn't be quite so much on the line tonight when the San Francisco 49ers (10-3-1) travel to Seattle to play the Seahawks (9-5).

And that's not even taking into account had that referee seen the final play of Seattle's game against the Packers the way most of America did.

But here we are, in the next to last week of the NFL's regular season, and the 49ers have clinched a playoff berth but have not yet won the division. And the Seahawks could still win the division, but have not yet clinched a playoff spot.

NATURALLY THE trash talking in the newsroom - good-natured, of course! (uh huh) - has picked up between the Seahawk supporters and the 49er fans.

From the Seahawks' side - "Boy, you nearly coughed up (phrase edited) that big lead at New England last week."

From the 49ers' side - "Hey, we still won the game - giving us road wins at Green Bay, New Orleans and New England; not too shabby. And, not to mention that gift win over the Packers, but your victory over the Patriots was at home, helped by New England miscues, and you've had what amounts to back-to-back walkovers the last two weeks against Arizona and Buffalo, who have pretty much quit on the season."

If the Seahawk side wanted to counter with the fact the 49ers couldn't beat the lowly Rams in either meeting, well, there wasn't much else S.F. fans could counter with, other than all the "tough" out-of-division games Seattle had to play - other than the trip to Chicago, the Seahawks got to play them all at home.

"And our coach can beat up your coach - neener, neener, neener."

If the debate had continued, a mediary might have had to choose between Ghirardelli chocolate and Top Pot Doughnuts.

WHAT IS known is that much has changed since Oct. 18, when San Francisco beat visiting Seattle 13-6 in a game which produced all of one touchdown and, depending on your point of view, either outstanding defense or real ugly offense.

Since then, Colin Kaepernick has replaced Alex Smith as the 49ers’ starting quarterback, a controversial move to be sure, since San Francisco was only 6-2 when Smith had the audacity to go down with a concussion in the first meeting against the Rams.

The “book” says the injured starter gets his job back once he’s healed, but Kaepernick has started the last five games, and Smith has not played since. And if the 49ers don’t at least reach the Super Bowl, coach Jim Harbaugh will take the heat for it — even though last year, Smith was bemoaned as a “game-manager” not quite talented enough to lead San Francisco all the way.

Funny how that goes.

Meanwhile in Seattle, rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has emerged in recent weeks as the right-handed version of former Seahawk great Jim Zorn — minus the floppy hair. He’s being mentioned as a Rookie of the Year candidate in a season where the top two picks of the draft — Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck and Washington QB Robert Griffin III — have been not too shabby this season.

Wilson, who began to inspire the phrase “Russell-mania” as early as the preseason, has almost made the Seahawks forget they are paying $19.5 million to free-agent quarterback Matt Flynn, who has rarely seen the field this year.

Seattle is 5-2 since that earlier loss to the 49ers.

San Francisco will be heading into another hostile road environment this week. One reason the Seahawks have such a raucous crowd is that Seattle fans haven’t had much to cheer about in the summer in recent years, so they’re in full voice come fall.

A better reason is that the Seahawks have a hard-hitting defense to rival the 49ers’, and their offense has gotten more exciting. Not only is Wilson playing better, but opponents still have a hard time tackling Marshawn Lynch, wide receiver Sydney Rice is making plays, and even Golden Tate is making news for things other than that late-night foray to the doughnut house.

THE RIVAL for the 49ers has been the Rams for decades, but in recent years, the Seahawks have decided they want to be San Francisco’s rivals. And so it has become that way, especially now that, for the third season in a row, one of those two teams will have won the NFC West.

Niners fans can only hope their team has better luck against their “new” rivals than their “old” ones.

And if Seahawk fans need to turn to their “12th man” — well, the 11 on the field have been pretty good by themselves this season.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.