Last Updated on September 19, 2010 6:20 pm by drew
Seahawks at Broncos Pick
The Seattle Seahawks shocked most bettors last week by crushing the San Francisco 49ers at home. Can they do it again when they take on the Broncos in Denver this Sunday?
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made the Broncos 3.5-point favorites over the Seahawks in Week 2. The over/under total for this game is 40 points.
Seahawks Win If:
They can remain balanced on offense again. Matt Hasselbeck only had to throw the ball 23 times in the Hawks’ win over the 49ers last week. He completed 18 of those 23 attempts for 170 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Hawks also ran the ball 23 times, largely splitting the carries between Justin Forsett, Julius Jones and Leon Washington in order to keep those backs fresh. The Broncos don’t have a pass rush, so if the Hawks can keep it simple again on offense and take advantage of big play opportunities when they present themselves, then another win could be in the cards.
Broncos Win If:
They don’t turn the ball over and stop the run defensively. Last week, the Broncos turned the ball over twice, as did the 49ers, which the Seahawks managed to turn into points. The Broncos have to protect the ball better at home and stop the run after giving up 134 rushing yards to Jacksonville last Sunday. The Seahawks want to remain balanced, but if Denver got shut down the ground game and force Hasselbeck to throw to covered receivers (the Broncos’ pass defense has the edge over the Hawks’ passing game), then maybe the Broncos can force a turnover or two themselves. Also, the Broncos only targeted Knowshon Moreno twice in the passing game last week. Getting him more involved as a pass-catcher could give them some more big plays. Brandon Lloyd had a great game a week ago, but in general this team is missing that big play threat.
Prediction:
It’s tough to say whether or not the Seahawks are for real. They looked great last week, but they usually play well at home and the 49ers had a ton of miscommunication problems offensively that Seattle took advantage of. That said, this is likely a field goal game either way, so there’s some value in taking the Seahawks at +3.5. This is one of the tougher games to predict, but the Broncos don’t have enough weapons to pull away at any point, so I like Seattle to cover, if not win outright.
2010 NFL Week 2 Free Pick: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS +3.5
BONUS PICK: OVER 40