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THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Aren't there enough scary things on the internet?

| December 27, 2020 1:30 AM

So, if I wanted to watch my team on Saturday, I couldn’t watch them on the NFL Network, which not everybody has access to.

Or on NFL Sunday Ticket, which is supposed to guarantee you can watch your favorite team from anywhere in the country.

Nope. Despite how much DirecTV gouges us for that “privilege.”

Had to sign up for a 30-day trial on something called Prime Video, or find something called Twitch.

Twitch is what I do whenever one of the 49ers gets close to a defender because, especially this year, an injury is bound to happen.

Fortunately, the Zags scheduled another “Game of the Century” during that time slot to fill the void.

(What day in April is the parade?)

NEXT WEEK, the Seahawks will wrap up the regular season with a game at the San Francisco/Santa Clara/now Glendale, Ariz., 49ers.

One team will charge into the playoffs as a legit Super Bowl contender.

The other will limp into the offseason, hoping nobody else gets hurt between next week and next August.

And to think these two teams were separated by less than 1 yard last season.

Look, I get it — injuries happen. But the 49ers have taken them to a new level.

Their much-maligned quarterback has missed most of the season with an ankle injury. In his absence, his value has actually increased, especially after watching his replacement.

One defender missed several games with a concussion — after a solid hit from his teammate!

An offensive player hurt himself basically running from one side of the field to the other — on the first play of the game! He’s out for the season.

Our pass rush was lost for the season in Week 2, when our returning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year suffered a knee injury.

But I also understand, there will be no sympathy coming from the City Without an NBA Team.

However, if The Great Russell Wilson was out most of the season, and so was DK Metcalf, and perhaps Tyler Lockett, well the Seahawks wouldn't look so dynamic on offense with Geno Smith throwing to a bunch of guys named Joe.

But, Seattle fans are thankful, that's not the case.

How does that saying go, sometimes the best ability is availability?

So enjoy your playoff run, Seahawks fans.

AFTERNOON UPDATE: So naturally, the 49ers beat the Cardinals, a team good enough to make the playoffs, with playmakers at quarterback and receiver, but always seem to screw up enough games to hurt their postseason cause.

So now we've swept the Rams, and split with the Cardinals. The Cardinals split with the Seahawks, and the Rams go for a sweep of the Seahawks today.

Go figure.

As for the internet, maybe that's the wave of the future for the NFL, another way for the league to bleed a few more dollars out of us.

But for now, I can find enough entertainment reading about the Boise State fans pleading for their hero, Kellen Moore, to come home and rescue their football program.

But what if he does come home, and Boise still loses to BYU, and next year's version of San Jose State?

Bronco fans' reaction will be more than just a Twitch.

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.