Seattle’s recent hot streak won’t be enough to get them the NFC West crown, but the Seahawks are the last team anyone wants to play right now. They’ve proven in the past two weeks they can beat quality opponents. Now, they’ll have to prove that they can continue playing well against teams that have nothing to lose.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Baltimore Ravens +10
Seattle Seahawks -10
Over/Under 42
ODDS ANALYSIS
Oddsmakers aren’t showing the Ravens much love in this one. With Baltimore still undecided on its starting quarterback, the line opened at Seattle -10. Baltimore hasn’t faced an opponent this tough since losing at Arizona in Week 7. The current combined record of its five opponents since that game is 18-42 and the Ravens went 3-2 SU and 2-2-1 ATS.
KEY INJURIES
Jordan Hill – Missed last week’s game with a toe injury and did not practice during the week, decreasing his chances of suiting up against the Ravens. Frank Clark took Hill’s usual role on the defensive line in passing downs and had two sacks against the Vikings. He’ll likely fill that role again.
Matt Schaub – The Ravens backup turned starting quarterback was held out of practice to recover from a physical game last week. He was nursing a sore knee and shoulder and is questionable to play on Sunday. Jimmy Clausen, signed to back up Schaub when Joe Flacco was lost for the year, took first team snaps in practice. Brynn Renner will backup Clausen if Schaub is ruled out.
KEY MISMATCH
The game plan for the Seahawks is simple: Don’t change anything. Quarterback Russell Wilson is playing at a level previously unattainable in his first three seasons. He’s carving up defenses from inside the pocket, racking up touchdowns and still finding a way to hurt teams with his legs. Wilson has 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions during Seattle’s three-game win streak, throwing for 879 yards with a 76.7 completion percentage and 148.2 passer rating as Seattle has outscored opponents 106-50. He was 21 of 27 for 274 yards with three touchdowns along with an eight-yard scoring run in last week’s 38-7 rout at Minnesota. After absorbing 31 sacks in the team’s 3-4 start, the line play has improved and Wilson has been taken down just seven times in five games since. Wilson has received plenty of help from Thomas Rawls, who’s amassed 391 rushing yards with three touchdowns over the last three weeks filling in for Marshawn Lynch. Seattle leads the NFL with 146.6 rushing yards per game.
KEY STAT
-11 – Baltimore’s turnover margin. The Ravens have the fewest interceptions in the NFL and just 10 takeaways. Seattle has turned the ball over 12 times and has a plus-4 turnover differential.
BETTING ANGLE
Over the last three weeks the Seahawks showed they can win games in remarkably different ways. Against San Francisco on Nov. 22, the ground game produced 255 yards with Rawls going for 209 in a 29-13 cover win. Two weeks ago they survived a shootout with Pittsburgh with Wilson throwing five touchdown passes in a 39-30 win. Last week in Minnesota, Seattle dominated, holding the Vikings without an offensive touchdown as Rawls ran for 101 yards and Wilson passed for three more scores in a 38-7 romp. It appears as though the Seahawks are again rounding into top form. The schedule turns in their favor down the stretch, too. The next three weeks feature games against Baltimore, Cleveland and St. Louis, teams with a combined record of 10-26.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It would be easy to forgive the Ravens if they folded in this one, especially given the circumstances surrounding their quarterback. Schaub took a beating the last two games and is questionable, though he says he will play. And Baltimore’s NFL season is done, so there’s that, too. Seattle’s offense has been on fire during a three-game win streak and the defense appears to be catching up after throttling the Vikings last week. Clausen gets the nod if Schaub can’t go, and we know what the Seahawks did to him back in Week 3. Starting in place of injured Jay Cutler for the Bears, Clausen did absolutely nothing in a game Seattle won 26-0. He doesn’t strike fear into the Seahawks defense, and neither does Schaub. Seattle continues its run for a wild card playoff spot while handing the Ravens their first double-digit loss of the year.
Seattle 26, Baltimore 13
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