Seattle- The Seattle Seahawks will have its hands full with the revamp offense of the New England Patriots.
Seattle came out the gate firing on all cylinders last week against the Atlanta Falcons. On the defensive end, they put pressure on Matt Ryan and the Falcons' offensive line. Seattle made sure that Todd Gurley did not impact the game and held him to 56 yards. Despite all of the success the Seahawks had with Atlanta, they gave up 450 yards in the air. On the offensive side D.K. Metcalf had one heck of a game with 95-yards and Russell Wilson threw for 322 yards, 4 touchdowns and no picks.
Against the Patriots, the Seahawks have to take their shots down the field. Metcalf is a huge target to throw to and it will cause problems for the Patriots if he can get out in the field. You can line him up in the slot and let him pick apart the Patriots' linebackers. Wilson has to be mistake free against the Patriots, because the Patriots will bring pressure. On the defensive side, the Seahawks can not allow Cam Newton to use Run, Pass, option (RPO) plays against them. They have to blitz Netwton and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. When Newton is under duress, that is when he does too much. Mistakes will happen from Newton, if he is pressured.
Last week, Cam had an impressive debut against the Miami Dolphins. Bill Belichick did a good job with using a lot of RPO format with Newton. Newton had 75-yards on the ground, ran for two touchdowns and threw for 155 yards without any interceptions. The ball was spread around and it was a lot of underneath action. Against the Seahawks, Newton will have to let his arm do the talking. The Seahawks like to play a lot of zone coverage, so Newton will have plenty of chances to work the middle of the field. On the defensive side, the Patriots have to keep a spy on Wilson at all times. They have to keep him contained and not allow big plays down the field.
Prediction score
Seahawks 20
Patriots 17