Week: 6 - Patriots vs. Seahawks Preview

This weekend the Patriots will travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in one of the most challenging stadiums for opposing teams to play in. The last 2 weeks the Patriots offense had been the best in the NFL and this week they will face a tough challenge with the Seattle defense. The Seahawks defense has be great thus far allowing only 12, 19 and 12 points in the last 3 weeks. They rank 5^th in opponent passing yards and 3^rd against the run. They held the Packers potent offense to only 12 points in week 3 in a game that will be remembered for the botched call at the end of the game by the replacement officials. They have not allowed a touchdown in the past 6 quarters and so far this season they have recorded 16 sacks and 9 fumbles. Their secondary is one of the biggest in the league with strong safety Kam Chancellor at 6’3” and 232 pounds, corner Richard Sherman at 6’3” and 195 pounds, and corner Brandon Browner measuring 6’4” and 221 pounds. Together these guys and a strong defensive line have devastated opposing offenses and have led the Seahawks to a surprising 3-2 record in the challenging NFC West.

The Seahawks offense is much less powerful than the defense. Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson has been average so far, but he has not faced a defense that will throw as many exotic looks and formations as the Patriots do. The Patriots have a great track record against rookie quarterbacks and have been able to confuse and overwhelm them in the past. Wilson has thrown for 815 yards, 5 TD and 6 interceptions in 2012.  The Seahawks running game is led by RB Marshawn Lynch who ranks 3^rd in the NFL by gaining 508 yards in 2012. He is a powerful back but against the Patriots defense, who currently ranks 8^th against the run, I really don’t see him making much of an impact especially since the Patriots defense can focus on the run due to the Seattle passing game being so poor. The Seahawks wide receiving core is led by Golden Tate and Sidney Rice. Tate has been very inconsistent so far with only 10 receptions for 144 yards and 3 TD. Against the Packers in week 3 however he caught 3 balls for 68 yards and 2 TD, so besides that one game he really has not been a factor. Sidney Rice has been a bit more productive but not much with 17 catches for 199 yards and a TD. As you can see, the Seahawks offense is not anything to be afraid of. This team is led by their defense and they will face their toughest test of 2012 on Sunday.

The Patriots offense has been an absolute force in the past few weeks. They have run for 250+ yards in 2 straight weeks, something they had not done since the 1970’s. Stevan Ridley ranks 5^th in rushing with 490 yards and 4 TD and has cemented his status as one of the NFL’s elite running backs. Wes Welker has been unbelievable as well, bringing in 38 catches for 484 yards. This week we will also see the return of TE Aaron Hernandez. It will be interesting to see how much he plays and in what types of situations he is used. Back in week 1 he basically took Welker’s place playing in the slot position for most of the game but since his injury Welker has played better and been far more productive than any wide receiver in the NFL. The Patriots have no choice but to play Welker at his normal position and find other ways for Hernandez to make an impact in the game. Rob Gronkowski has been dealing with a bad hip for the past couple games so maybe platooning Gronk and Hernandez will suit them best in the long run until they are both back to 100%. I understand the Seattle defense has been great this season, but so has the Pat’s offense and I really don’t think this offense will slow down on Sunday. The way they have been able to run the ball has enabled Brady to use the play-action pass to perfection and especially going up against these big guys in the secondary, I think Welker will have another huge game. Bigger players have trouble covering Welker as he is much quicker than them and is able to get open on what seems like every single play. The Pat’s offensive line has improved every week so I think they will be able to do a good job protecting Brady against this pass rush. I think the run game will definitely be less effective this week, but I think the pass game will be just fine. I see Brady, Welker and Lloyd having big games.

The Patriot’s defense has seen its fair share of success and failure this season. They’re a young group so some of the mistakes are to be expected. The surprising part is the amount of turnovers they have forced, especially in key situations. I think against this less than average Seattle offense, the Patriots defense will be able very successful, especially since Wilson is prone to throw interceptions. The Pat’s secondary has struggled against veteran QB’s like Manning and Flacco but have eaten up inexperienced guys like Locker and Fitzpatrick and I think after this week, Wilson will be added to this list. I really think the Patriots will take an early lead and this will force Wilson into abandoning the run and making throws he is not comfortable making, which will lead to interceptions. The Patriots are favored to win by 4.5 points according to Vegas but I think that line is far too low. I don’t see this game being competitive at all. The offense will have trouble running the ball but will succeed through the air and the defense will take advantage of a rookie QB and will force turnovers.

Patriots 37- Seahawks 17.