The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers collide on Thursday night in a much anticipated NFC West rivalry game. Surprisingly, the 49ers and Seahawks are a combined 4-8 so far with disappointing losses. Neither team leads the division and the Arizona Cardinals are 4-2, so this is huge game for both teams.

Let's preview the game a pick a winner.

Seattle Seahawks (2-4)

This is not the ideal start to the season that Seahawks fans envisioned. The Seahawks have won the NFC the last two consecutive seasons, but a rough 2-4 start this year has many scratching their heads. In the last two years the Seahawks only lost three and four games the whole year, but already have four defeats just six games into this season.

By far the biggest problem for the Seahawks has been closing games. In each of their last six losses, dating back to last year, the Seahawks have blown a fourth quarter lead. Last week the Seahawks allowed four 80-yard touchdown drives to Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

On top of that, the Seahawks are 0-3 on the road so far this season.

Not all is bad with the Seahawks heading into Thursday night. They are still relatively healthy, and they did sweep the 49ers last season. The Seahawks still have the No. 4 ranked defense in the NFL, but again, blown leads are their biggest issue. The Seahawks lost their only division game this year, to the St. Louis Rams, so this is crucial for them. Richard Sherman always seems to play his best against the 49ers.

The Seahawks play the Dallas Cowboys next week.

San Francisco 49ers (2-4)

Like the Seahawks, the 49ers are also struggling at 2-4. Letting Jim Harbaugh go to Michigan has proven to be a huge mistake. Kaepernick is making inaccurate throws and the 49ers offense ranks dead last in scoring. The only positive note on offense for the 49ers has been running back Carlos Hyde, who is doing a good job of filling in for Frank Gore.

Defensively, the 49ers simply just aren't what they once were. So many key players departed this offseason and it's taken its toll overall. The 49ers defense ranks 31st in yards allowed, 25th in points given up and last in passing yards allowed. The best thing going for the 49ers in this one is home-field advantage.

If the 49ers can win this game, they will be in second place in the NFC West. The Cardinals are currently the only team in the NFC West that even have a winning record. A loss here would pretty much end their season.

The 49ers will play the Rams next week.

Schedule

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will play each other on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EDT on the NFL Network. The game will be played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. You can watch a live game stream here.

Prediction

All signs point to Bobby Wagner playing on Thursday for the Seahawks. The Seahawks are the better football team, but they are 0-3 on the road. It's tough to have confidence in them right now because they are struggling so much to close games. Usually when a Pete Carroll team has to win, they do. This game should be a close one.

Seahawks win 20-17

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1