Early MNF Preview: Saints @ Seahawks

There are two thing that few people will argue with when it comes to NFL football. One of them is that Drew Brees is among the best quarterbacks playing the game.  Another is that the Seattle Seahakws is one of (if not the best) team in the NFL. On Monday night Brees’s Saints will battle it out with the Sehawks.

It has been almost two year since the last time these two teams played. Since then the Seahawks have changed quite a bit. Last time the Saints were the big favorites, this time the Seahwks will be heavily favored, considering they are one game ahead of the Saints in the standings and have home-field advantage.

The Seahawks have won 13 consecutive games when playing in Seattle. Their last loss at home was in 2011 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Saints only two losses have come on the road.

However, the Saints have a great record when playing on Monday Night Football. When they are garnering national attention they have won in their last five MNF games.

The Saints have the second best pass offense in the NFL. The Seahawks have the second best pass defense in the NFL. That means this is going to be a heck of a match up.

The Seahawks will be focusing on stopping Brees favorite target Jimmy Graham who has 65 receptions, 946 yards and 11 TDs on the season.  However, their secondary will also need to stop the many other receiving threats on the Saints.  To add further stress on the Seahawks secondary, both cornerback Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond will miss the game. Browner is out with an injury while Thurmond is suspended.

The Saints defense will have to figure out how to slow Russell Wilson. He has both a strong arm and good feet. This means the Saints defense are going to have to not only watch the pass, but the option is also going to be something they will want to watch for.

The Saints have struggled against the run, allowing 4.8 yards per carry. Not a comforting stat considering the Seahawks have the third best rushing offense in the league.

The Seahawks are the six-point favorites in this game. The Seahawks are 7-4 against the spread when laying points. They have not been an underdog all season. The game will be on Monday night at 8:40 p.m. ET.