The final score of the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks game was much closer than expected against a 1-9 team (and maintained the streak of games between the two teams that were decided by just one possession). This didn’t seem to matter in the projection for the next game against the Vikings, and FanDuel Sportsbook projects the Seahawks as 9.5-point favorites.
The over/under is at 42.5, a number likely taking into account the difficult games of the “almost rookie” JJ McCarthy. The Seahawks’
defense has the potential to keep the Vikings’ QB in this series of bad games, even though against the Titans they allowed Cam Ward to escape fairly frequently.
The Seahawks’ offense has shown problems in the red zone and will face one of the defenses that uses disguises most in coverage, something that could be a problem against Sam Darnold. However, the Seahawks’ offense has been lethal when Jaxon Smith-Njigba is targeted.
It’s worth remembering that, thinking about the playoffs, the most likely path for the Seahawks is to secure a wild card spot. The Rams face the Panthers, Falcons, Cardinals (twice), Lions, and Seahawks. The only games they can afford to lose are against the Seahawks and Lions, so there is a big possibility of the Rams win out. If the Rams don’t lose to the Lions, even if they are defeated by the Seahawks, they will be division champions, even if the Seahawks win all their remaining games, due to tiebreaker criteria. In this simulation, both would finish 13-4, the Seahawks would be in the postseason, but without winning the NFC West.
The Seahawks face the Vikings, Panthers, Falcons, Colts, Rams, and 49ers. These are three games where a win is expected, and three very difficult games. Losing one of the games where they are favored could seriously complicate their playoff hopes and create unnecessary pressure on our shoulders.
