Seattle Seahawks (3-3, 3-3 ATS) @ Carolina Panthers (3-3-1, 4-3 ATS)
*ATS= against the spread
BETDAQ Line: Seattle -5 (44.5)
Significant Injuries
Seattle: C Max Unger (out– foot), CB Byron Maxwell (out– calf), DT Jordan Hill (out– ankle), LB Bobby Wagner (out– toe), TE Zach Miller (out– ankle)
Carolina: LB Jason Williams (questionable– hip), CB Bene’ Benwikire (out– ankle), LB Chase Blackburn (out– knee), G Trai Turner (out– knee), RB Fozzie Whitaker (out– thigh), RB DeAngelo Williams (out– ankle)
Recent Trends
Seattle is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss
Seattle is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 road games
Seattle is 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 road games vs. a team with a losing record
Carolina is 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 home games
Carolina is 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss
Carolina is 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game
The OVER is 5-2 in Seattle’s last 7 games overall
The OVER is 4-0 in Carolina’s last 4 games following a loss of more than 14 points
The OVER is 5-0 in Carolina’s last 5 games overall
Three reasons to back Seattle
1. Despite their recent struggles, the Seahawks have played like a contending team this season, ranking 7th in total defense, 8th in points scored, and notching victories over division leaders Green Bay and Denver. The Panthers, on the other hand, have won just once on their last 5 games.
2. The Carolina defense has been awful this year, ranking 27th in yards allowed and 29th in points allowed. They’re sure to have difficulty with a Seattle offense that is averaging 26.5 points per game and is led by dynamic dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson, one of the NFL’s rising stars. This will be the first time all season that Carolina has faced a quarterback who is a genuine threat as a runner.
3. The Seahawks have a fierce defense that hasn’t played as well as they’re accustomed to recently, but this week they have an excellent opportunity to return to their dominating ways against a mediocre Carolina offense that ranks in the bottom-half of the league in both yards per game and points scored. The Panthers will have to rely on the big play in this game because they won’t be able to move the ball consistently.
Three reasons to back Carolina
1. People dismissing Carolina as a “bad team” forget that they’re quite good at home, failing to cover just twice in their last 11 home games and winning 2 of 3 at home this season. This is just the third time since 2010 that the Panthers have been an underdog by as many as 5 points at home, so opportunities like this don’t come around very often.
2. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is having the best season of his career and this week he’ll face a Seattle secondary that has been a tremendous disappointment, ranking 16th in passing defense a year after leading the NFL in that particular category. The ‘Hawks allowed young Austin Davis to complete 17 of 20 passes against them last week, so they’ll likely have difficulty with a quarterback of Newton’s caliber.
3. The Carolina defense has underperformed this season but key pieces remain from the unit that finished 2nd in the NFL in points allowed last year. The defense has shown flashes of last season’s dominant form, like when they held Detroit to just 7 points in a Week 2 victory, and this week they’ll face a one-dimensional Seattle offense that just traded their most dynamic weapon due to off-field chemistry issues. The Seahawks rank 2nd in rushing but 29th in passing, so the Panthers definitely know what’s coming, and they certainly have the personnel to force Seattle out of their comfort zone.
Prediction
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