THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Thursday, November 27, 2014

Watching that standup act the other day involving Richard Sherman and the cardboard cutout known as Doug Baldwin was pretty entertaining.

Almost made me forgot that I had wished Alex Boone had taken Sherman's head off after he pulled that unsportsmanlike stuff on Michael Crabtree near the end of last year's NFC championship game.

Almost.

Shortly after most people go into a turkey coma today, the NFL's version of the Hatfields and the McCoys meet up again for the first time since last January.

Not sure if there is more of a rivalry between the 49ers and the Seahawks on the field or off.

It is not true that 49ers fans wish the blimp would land on CenturyLink Field during a Seahawks game. But it might be closer to the truth that they wouldn't have minded if those dachshunds had left a little something on the field for the second half after the wiener dog races at halftime of the Seahawks' game last Sunday.

And I imagine Seahawk fans feel the same way toward their "friends" from the bay area.

NEITHER TEAM has had the type of season it expected.

It was probably unrealistic to think the Seahawks would run the table, though the team was certainly capable. Losses to the Chargers, Cowboys, Rams and Chiefs at least proved to other teams that the Seahawks were beatable.

Things have been mostly hunky-dory in Seahawks land through this recent stretch of excellence.

Strangely, in this era where everything leaks out of the locker room, any issues between Percy Harvin and his Seahawk teammates managed to stay in the locker room until after the ingrate receiver/kick returner was jettisoned to the Jets.

Sure, there's been the occasional Internet grumbling about Seattle's deficiencies on the offensive line, and at linebacker. And even the previously untouchable Russell Wilson has come under fire, each incompletion blamed on his filming too many commercials in the offseason.

see NELKE, B4

Whatever.

From the outside looking in, Seattle's defense is still terrorizing. Yards are still being given up grudgingly, many receptions countered with a "Don't come around here no more" shot to the chops.

The running back with the one-word answers may or may not be back next year, but this year he's still bulldozing through the line, picking up yards in chunks.

When he's not running the ball, then Wilson is keeping it on the read option, often with no one around to tackle him on the perimeter. And when he's chased out of the pocket, his "pedestrian" receivers still manage to wiggle wide, wide, wide open for big gains.

With their backs against the wall last weekend, the Seahawks dominated the NFC West-leading Cardinals. The Cardinals make out-of-this-world catches against other teams. Against the Seahawks, they drop touchdown passes and miss field goals.

True, Arizona was missing stud receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

But on this day, the Cardinals could have had Larry Fitzgerald, F. Scott Fitzgerald and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," and they still weren't going to win that game. Not in Seattle. Not with the Seahawks in a must-win situation.

MEANWHILE, DOWN the coast, things have simmered down a bit since the early season rumblings that Jim Harbaugh was as good as gone at the end of the year.

Despite being without one of its all-pro linebackers for the season, and without the other one for most of the year, the 49ers have played some remarkable defense.

In this era where the offense gets all the breaks, 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio deserves kudos for taking a patchwork group of players - which includes mostly backups and retreads in the secondary - and playing championship-level defense.

Now if only he could have that same kind of effect on the offense.

Aside from some injuries on the offensive line, the offense has had all the weapons it needs, but has consistently underproduced - often turning touchdowns into field goals.

Sometimes they score enough points to win, but usually because the defense saves them.

Deservedly or not, Colin Kaepernick has taken his share of the heat, with some wondering if he's really getting any better in his third season as a starting quarterback. Don't know the answer to that, but what is evident is 49ers fans, right now, have to take the good with the bad from him.

BOTH TEAMS - Seattle, in particular - are good enough to win this little NFL postseason tournament.

The harder part might just be getting into the tournament.

It's also possible that, if the 49ers and Seahawks split their home-and-home love-in, they might knock each other out of playoff contention.

So, when they show Harbaugh and Pete Carroll exchanging pleasantries before the game, watch carefully to see if they broker a winner-take-all secret deal - whoever wins tonight will be conceded the rematch, so at least one of the teams makes the playoffs.

Then again, there's probably a better chance of a blimp landing on the field.

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@CdAPressSports.