Broncos and Wilson Will Handle Seahawks
The roar of the crowd, the gray-haired coach comping away at gum, and the short, hustle-bustle-muscle-man, Russell Wilson jogs onto the field in Seattle. But, wait, Wilson is on the opposite sideline of that gum-chewing, happy-go-lucky coach, Pete Carroll. Seattle fans didn't have to wait at all to see their former Super Bowl winning quarterback whom they loved. I would guess it is a warm welcome for him, but will the entire game be?
In an effort for full disclosure here, I was absolute trash on the Sunday slate. So feel free to fade, or take Geoff's picks that are on here, as we are on opposite sides for this one. I haven't had that much faith in the Broncos for the last two seasons, but with Wilson at the helm, I think they are going to be a solid squad. I'm not sure that there is animosity between Wilson and the Seahawks, but I have to imagine he has strong feelings towards winning this return. His receivers are arguably worse in Denver than in Seattle, but his running game should see a bit of an upgrade. The biggest difference is that Denver has a better offensive line and that should help Wilson get extra time to throw, or at least keep him on his feet.
There are a lot of bad things for Seattle right now. Their quarterback is Geno Smith, words that have never led to anything good in the NFL. Speaking of offensive lines, the Seattle Seahawks have the worst line in football according to Pro Football Focus. Even a few other sites have them as a bottom line in football, if not the worst. Maybe there was a lot of improvement in the offseason, but I really doubt enough to make them have great protection. If Smith can't get the ball to Tyler Lockett or DK Metcalf, there is very little hope for the team. If Drew Lock has to take over at any point, it will be even worse for the Seahawks.
Defensively, the Broncos have the edge as well. With Pat Surtain and Bradley Chubb leading the charge, I think that they can navigate through whatever offensive scheme that Carroll throws at them. I imagine that the Seahawks are going to play a lot of short passes in this one as they probably won't take too many risks. The Seahawk defense was an issue last year and I think will still be an issue this year. Their safeties are still some of the better in the NFL, but if the Broncos play underneath, they can probably avoid them a bit.
A lot is made of the Seattle 12th man (their crowd) but I think they might be taken out of this one early. Denver can establish the ground game, and we will see how much of a connection Wilson has with his receivers.
I thought the Falcons and Texans would be two of the worst teams in the NFL this season. The Falcons gave the Saints all they could handle, and the Texans tied with the Colts. Maybe I'll be wrong here, but I don't see the Seahawks winning many games. I'm taking the Broncos -6.5 for the game. I also will sprinkle Javonte Williams to get two or more touchdowns at +700.
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OutKick 360's Betting Lines: MNF — Broncos @ Seattle
Hutton: Broncos -6.5 & under 44.5
Chad: Seahawks +6.5
PK: Under 44.5