Seahawks Prove They’re Second-Best Team in the NFC West
Remember when the Arizona Cardinals were 4-0 and were receiving serious playoff buzz? It feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, they have lost four straight and the Seattle Seahawks have instead taken the mantle as the second-best team in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers.
On Sunday, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch led the Seahawks past a frisky Vikings squad that had Adrian Peterson running as well as he ever has. Peterson had 144 yards in the first half alone and finished the day with 182. “At halftime we were like, ‘We don’t need the coaches to tell us he’s kicking our (rear),'” Seattle defensive end Red Bryant said after the game. “We focused up and paid more attention and I love the way we were able to finish the game.”
Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback, had an efficient day, throwing for 173 yards and three touchdowns, all three scores coming in the first half. “A couple of those touchdowns where the ball was in the end zone and I feel like we should do that more often,” Rice said. “Take shots into the end zone. We got good receivers. We got good tight ends that can make plays. Hopefully, we’ll keep doing it. It’s working for us.”
The Seahawks were four-point favorites in the game, and easily covered the spread. It wasn’t tough to predict a big Seahawks win, either. Here were some of the betting trends heading into the game between these two squads, courtesy of OddShark.com:
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 7 games
- Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Minnesota’s last 15 games on the road
- Seattle is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Seattle’s last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Seattle’s last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of Seattle’s last 17 games at home
Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder was truly horrendous in this game, throwing for 63 yards on 22 attempts, averaging a putrid 2.9 yards per throw. He was sacked four times by this tenacious Seattle defense.
The Seahawks now sit at 5-4, and have a favorable schedule down the stretch. If they can keep winning in such emphatic fashion, a playoff berth is not out of the question for the Birds. Their most winnable games for the rest of the season include games at home against the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals and road trips to Buffalo and Miami.
The Seahawks don’t have a great offense, but they do what they have to do to win. They’re ranked fifth in the league in defending the run and 13th in pass defense. “I wasn’t surprised. As a defense we want the game on our shoulders,” Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said after the Seahawks’ landmark win over the New England Patriots on October 14. “We have the confidence in us; we know Pete has the confidence in us.”
Their defense will have to shoulder a lot of burden down the stretch (the Seahawks are ranked 31st in passing in the league), but they are more than capable of shouldering the load. They’re great at home, and savvy betters would be wise to take them in Seattle no matter how many points they’re getting. If they keep playing the way they’re playing , a playoff berth might be in the cards for this unlikely team.
