Seahawks
vs.
Patriots
College Football Pick
11/13/16
The Seahawks and the Patriots haven’t met since Russell Wilson threw the interception to Malcolm Butler to seal a Super Bowl XLIX victory for Tom Brady and New England. That changes when they meet in Week 10, in what is sure to be a much sought-after ticket. Seattle is 5-2-1 and leads the NFC West. The Patriots are 7-1 and hold a three-Game lead in the AFC East. The Seahawks are a rather large 8.5-point underdogs on the road, and the over/under ACCording to the 5Dimes Sportsbook is 49.
Wilson has been hampered by ankle troubles and, as a result, has not been a big factor in the running Game. Rumor has had it, though, that Wilson is on the mend and will be back to normal soon enough. Despite the struggles in the run Game, he has been solid in the passing Game as usual. Wilson has thrown for 2,094 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. While he is far off his pace of 34 touchdown passes from last season, Wilson has still been magnificent in protecting the football.
Christine Michael has been above-average but doesn’t provide anything of threat by himself (without the aid of Wilson’s legs).
New England has a middle-of-the-pack defense all the way around, so Wilson should be able to take advantage if he is, in fact, getting back to proper health with his ankle.
Brady and company have been stellar, as they always are. Brady is throwing for over 300 yards per Game and has thrown 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. He didn’t play in the first Four Games of the season due to injury, but his protection of the football has just been incredible.
Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett have been big threats at tight end. There doesn’t seem to be a good way to slow those two down. Finally, LeGArrette Blount is averaging over 75 yards per Game on the ground and has scored nine times there as well. He’s only averaging 3.8 yards per attempt, but Blount is carrying the ball about 20 times per Game. His 6-foot, 250-pound frame is difficult to bring down, and he simply pounds defenses again and again, to wear them down as the Game goes on.
Seattle does not have elite defense this year, but they are more than adequate. They still have one of the top overall units in the entire league. This should be a fascinating test as the Game develops for this crew.
Our Pick – Patriots -7.5