Seattle Seahawks November preview and predictions
By Jake Luppino
The Seahawks head back on the road to take on the young and upcoming, Buffalo Bills.
Sunday, November 8, 2020: Week 9 — Seattle Seahawks @ Buffalo Bills
The AFC division that the NFC West plays this year is the AFC East. So far on the year, the Seahawks have played the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. They have beaten both. They face the Bills in Week 9 and have the Jets later on towards the end of the season. The Buffalo Bills got off to a great start in 2020 winning their first four games.
They then dropped back-to-back games against two Super Bowl caliber teams: Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to those two games, Josh Allen was in the early MVP conversation. In Week 7, the Bills barely squeaked by the New York Jets. They scored 0 touchdowns and primarily won because the Jets are just flat out bad and cannot move the ball offensively. The Bills have a test in Week 8 versus the New England Patriots. In his career against the Patriots, Josh Allen is 0-3 and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. A win versus the Pats can really boost Allen’s confidence.
Russell Wilson is 2-0 in his career versus the Buffalo Bills. He will look to improve that to 3-0 when these two teams face off in Week 9. Also, keep in mind that the Seahawks will be traveling to Buffalo, which is on the east coast. The Seahawks have been great on the east coast and will be looking to improve their streak. The Bills are an upcoming and team. I see this serving as a great test for both teams as both are well coached and are heading in the right direction.
What Will Determine the Outcome: Can the Seahawks force turnovers against Josh Allen?
The biggest knock on the third year quarterback is his ability to become reckless with the football. We saw this on display in the Wild Card round last year against the Houston Texans, in which Allen almost cost his team the game with some poor decision making. The Bills ultimately ended up losing that game and it was primarily due to the fact that Allen lacked the playoff experience. He looked rattled in the big moment. But, he is still very young and has a high upside.
Allen has a rocket of an arm, but, that can sometimes get him into trouble. In the two losses this year, Allen has thrown at least one interception. This game is ultimately going to come down too whether or not the Seahawks can force turnovers. As we currently sit, the Seahawks are tied for 4th in turnover differential (+5). Coach Carroll has always been known to teach his defensive players the correct tendencies when it comes to punching the ball loose. If you watch the Seahawks, you see their DE’s, LB’s, and members of the secondary always go to punch the ball while making a tackle. In Week 7 against the Cardinals, DT Poona Ford, punched the ball right out of DeAndre Hopkins’ hands.
The Seahawks have the highest scoring offense in the NFL, currently scoring an average of 33.8 points per game. The last thing the Bills need to do is give that Seattle offense extra opportunities at scoring. In fact, the Bills need to focus on keeping the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hands. The Buffalo defense is a middle of the pact defense that will struggle in slowing down Wilson and company. On the converse, Jamal Adams will be spying Josh Allen and will record 1 sack in this game.
36. 24. 16. Prediction. 31