The Seattle Seahawks still have a bitter taste in their mouths following a nightmarish Super Bowl XLIX loss back in February. The team’s road back to redemption begins on the road, where they will lock horns with fellow NFC West team, the St. Louis Rams.
The Rams will have a new quarterback in Nick Foles, whom they got from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Sam Bradford. Will Foles deliver and lead the Rams into an upset win? Or will Russell Wilson and company show St. Louis who’s boss?
Read on for more about this matchup. For more Week 1 game preview, you can click here for Steelers vs. Patriots and here for Browns vs. Jets.
[sc:Football ]Seattle Seahawks vs. St. Louis Rams Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
When: Sunday, September 13, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) vs. St. Louis Rams (+3.5); total: 42.5– see all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Seattle Seahawks
[sc:NFL240banner ]Russell Wilson’s offseason wasn’t bad. For one, he was paid by the Seahawks as if he just invented Facebook. But aside from the money, Wilson was also given a shining new toy to play with in the passing game after Seattle’s front office pilfered tight end Jimmy Graham from New Orleans last March.
What kind of chemistry Wilson and Graham will have is going to be something worth observing when the Seahawks travel to St. Louis to face the Rams. Seattle is 3-0 SU and ATS in its last three games away from Safeco Field.
Confidence is something Wilson and the Seahawks will have a lot of entering the St. Louis game, as Seattle beat the Rams, 20-6, in their last meeting. In that game, Wilson threw for 239 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Wilson didn’t have to do that much, however, as the Seahawks’ defense was on point, limiting St. Louis down to just 245 total yards.
The Seahawks were particularly vicious against St. Louis’ running game, as it gave up just 42 yards on the ground. With the Rams parading a better quarterback in Nick Foles, Seattle will have to administer the same kind of pressure on defense in order to throw off St. Louis’ offense. It should help Seattle that all but one defensive starter (cornerback Byron Maxwell is now in Philly) returns to the team.
The presence of Graham, meanwhile, should open up gaps for Marshawn Lynch. Lynch, who rushed for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, had 60 yards on 14 attempts in the Seahawks’ December win over St. Louis.
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Betting on the St. Louis Rams
The Rams are about to embark on life after Sam Bradford. As good as Bradford was for the Rams, his inability to stay healthy was too much for St. Louis to keep the former Sooner as their starting quarterback.
Even with a new quarterback, though, the Rams’ passing game is likely to struggle against Seattle—unless of course, St. Louis’ offensive line shows major improvements. Last season, the Rams allowed 47 sacks, eighth most in the NFL. With offensive linemen Jake Long and Joseph Barksdale gone, those left in the O-line like Greg Robinson and Rob Havenstein will have to step up and keep Seattle’s front seven from reaching Foles, as well as to provide the backfield room to run.
The tandem of Tre Mason and Todd Gurley has the potential to be among the best in the league, but with Gurley still in the process of recovering from a knee injury, Mason will be left with most of the workload. Mason led the Rams last season with 765 rushing yards and had four rushing scores. It’s worth noting that Mason had one of his best games last season when he rushed for 85 yards and reached the end zone once in St. Louis’ 28-26 win at home against Seattle on October 19.
On defense, the Rams have proven that they can serve Seattle with a dose of its own medicine when it comes to the pass rush. In fact, the Rams sacked Wilson six times in two meetings last season for a loss of 38 yards.
Writer’s Prediction
St. Louis (+3.5) wins, 23-21.
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