JLuppy’s Crystal Ball: Odds/predictions for Seahawks & NFC West Week 2
By Jake Luppino
The Seattle Seahawks were the best of the west in Week 1. Given all the turmoil and turnover in Seattle this offseason, who would have thought they would be the only team in this tough division to have a 1 in the win column?
I know, I know, it’s only Week 1 and we’ve seen odder things happen before. But, for the opposing 3 teams in the NFC West, it’s sort of hard to ignore the glaring holes that have been exposed in their Week 1 defeats.
In my opinion, the biggest surprise of them all had to be the Arizona Cardinals. Granted, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the better teams in the NFL. However, it seems as if Arizona’s drama from the offseason has carried over into the early portion of the regular season.
As for the defending Super Bowl Champs, their poor offensive line play is something that must be fixed moving forward. Although, for the first time in his career, Sean McVay has a record below .500. That stat alone speaks volumes about how this Rams organization has been consistently good over the years.
NFC West: Odds and predictions for Week 2 including the Seahawks!
For the Seattle Seahawks Week 2 opponent, it’s hard to make out what the San Francisco 49ers are going to be this year. I know Trey Lance is a huge unknown. It is worth noting that he was without George Kittle, Elijah Mitchell got hurt and most importantly, they were playing in porous conditions.
With all that said, let’s take a look into the future and see what this weekend has in store.
Atlanta Falcons @ Los Angeles Rams (-10.5)
The Rams remain at home to take on a rebuilding Falcons team. Although they played New Orleans extremely tight in Week 1, their inexperience and talent deficiency ultimately led to their defeat. They now enter the lion’s den taking on the defending Super Bowl Champions who got embarrassed on banner night. Expect Allen Robinson and Cam Akers to bounce back nicely in a blowout win for the Rams.
Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers (-9.0)
I am absolutely stunned that the 49ers are this big of a favorite. With George Kittle’s status still uncertain, the 49ers are going to need a huge bounceback from Trey Lance. Expect Seattle to spy him thoroughly and do their best to keep him in the pocket. Lance struggles most when he cannot escape and make plays with his legs. Also, I love Seattle against the spread this year. They are too big of an underdog in a divisional game against an opponent they have dominated over the years for me to pass up on.
Arizona Cardinals @ Las Vegas Raiders (-5.0)
Both of these teams are looking to bounce back and each has valid reasoning for believing they can do so. Last week, Arizona blitzed Patrick Mahomes on over half of his dropbacks. While it didn’t pan out well for them, they might have hope for optimism going up against a Vegas offensive line that allowed 6 sacks to the Chargers. The bad news for Arizona, Davante Adams is going to wreck their secondary. I like Vegas to win their home opener and cover in doing so.
Next. 3 unsung heroes led Seahawks to Week 1 victory. dark