Have Sea and the under...though having seconds thoughts on the under. Too late now as I placed my wager early at 41.5 thinking the line would drop, which it did to 41. What scares me is a lopsided score of 38-7. Yep- I think the game will be a blowout.
Here's how I see the game played out:
Hawks will be able to mount med to long drives with a mixture of run and pass. They move the ball both ways so Wash will not be able to predict Sea's offense. Hasselback can avoid the rush with his mobility when needed and pick up critical first downs while Alexander will give them balance on the ground. Eyes on Alexander also mean potential for play action. As for Wash's defense being able to stop Sea, well...even Tampa's anemic offense out gained Wash's and moved the ball...it's just that here we have a Seattle veteran offense that will not make the little mistakes that add up. Those inches...those drop balls in the endzone...set back penalties...throwing in traffic...etc...
When Wash has the ball they are more predictable. They don't have an offense built to finesse or deceive. You know when they run, you know when they pass....they run that offense all season including last week at Tampa. Third and 5 you can't rely on handing the ball off, be it Portis or Barry Sanders...you've got to avoid the rush, run around and find the open man. Brunell's lack of mobility will kill them. Wash's lack of big play making ability on offense will hurt them. In hindsight they'll need to mount sustained mistake-free drives to score. How many times have you seen them take the ball to mid field then have a penalty or take a sack and end up punting? 3rd and 10 for the Colts, Sea, Den, or NE and they are only one play away from a first down. Wash? They need to gain 3-5 yards a play, be methodical and mistake free. Simply won't happen enough to keep up with the Hawks. I have not touted Sea's defense because I believe Wash's lack of offense will be enough so they lose by DD and keep the score down.
This is but one opinion and suggest you look at others as well to form your own.
GL today.
Oh- and regarding 17pts in 15 of 17 games....Jax failed to score a TD in only one game all season (at Indy), and look what they did at NE. I'd recommend throwing these trends away and instead imagine the game being played out.
