The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will try to hold off the New England Patriots for an opportunity to earn the rare distinction of back-to-back. A player to keep an eye on during this game is the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher, Marshawn Lynch (1,306 yards, 13 TDs). Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 1 and will air on NBC.
Seattle prevailed against Green Bay 28-22 in the NFC Championship last week. Marshawn Lynch had a huge game running the ball in the victory, gaining 157 yards and one touchdown on 25 attempts. In the AFC Championship, New England crushed Indianapolis 45-7. LeGarrette Blount had a big game on the ground for the Patriots, totaling 148 yards and three TDs on 30 carries. Julian Edelman was a factor as well, totaling 98 yards on nine receptions.
Seattle is favored by a small one-point margin in its matchup against the Patriots. The matchup currently has a 49-point Over/Under (O/U).
Heading into Week 4 of league action, the Seahawks are 12-4 Straight Up (SU) and 10-6 Against The Spread (ATS). The Seahawks love to run the ball. Their 32.8 rushing attempts per game are the second-highest in the league. As for the Seattle defense, a few key matchups could decide this game. Expect the third-ranked Seahawks run defense to cause headaches for the Patriots running game. The Seahawks give up only 81.5 rushing yards per game.
Over on the other sideline, the Patriots head into Week 4 with records of 9-7 ATS and 12-4 SU.
Predictions: SU Winner – SEA, ATS Winner – SEA, O/U – Over
Notes
Seattle is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Seattle is 6-1-1 ATS in its last 8 games.
Seattle is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing New England.
New England is 10-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Seattle is 8-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
This season, New England is 7-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 2-1 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Over its last five games, the New England defense is averaging 3.0 sacks per game, while the Seattle defense is averaging 4.2 sacks over its last five. New England is only 1-2 SU this season when allowing at least 4 sacks while Seattle is actually 6-1 SU when giving up at least 3 sacks.
Seattle is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its first-ranked rushing attack will face the ninth-ranked run defense of New England, while its third-ranked rush defense will look to contain the 17th-ranked run game of the Patriots.
Seattle has given up 15.9 points per game this year, which is ranked only 27th in the league. New England has scored 29.2 points per game this year, ranked first overall.
