Depending on how you look at it the Week 2 Sunday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks is a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl or a 2016 NFC Divisional Round playoff game. Another way to look at it is a pair of teams coming off impressive season-opening wins. Both teams covered the closing line as favorites with Russell Wilson particularly sharp for Seattle. Cam Newton looked like the MVP version in the Pats win over Miami, starting the post-Brady era just like many of them in the past ended. Wilson lost those two playoff encounters tossing a pick to secure New England’s Super Bowl XLIX win while Newton led Carolina to SB50 with a win in Seattle. The home team hit the board as a 3.5-point favorite in this rare interconference battle.
Watch this regular season NFL Week 2 matchup on Sunday, September 20, 2020, at 8:20 p.m. ET from CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Catch the game live on NBC and bet on NFL odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
NFL Odds at Bookmaker.eu
New England Patriots +3
Seattle Seahawks -3
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
It is indeed a new time in New England. The Pats opened as a 3.5-point dog on the NFL betting line with the number wagered down to +3. Still, it if sticks it’ll be the first time since the 2016 season opener that they’ll be getting points. The deflategate scandal sidelined Brady for the first four games that season and the Pats upset Arizona as a 9-point road dog, 23-21, behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Newton’s tenure started on a high note with a pair of rushing touchdowns. Laying 7-points to the Dolphins, the Pats defense did a number in their 21-11 win cashing the UNDER on the closing total of 41.5. Seattle nearly hit that number on its own taking down the Falcons 38-25. The Seahawks are 4-3 SU and 2-5 ATS in their last seven home games when favored by at least a field goal.
Matchup to Watch
Now might be a good time for Seattle to bust out its lethal running game. With Wilson on fire against Atlanta, the Seahawks ran the football only 20 times totaling 84 yards. There was talk about opening up the offense to ‘let Russ cook’ and the results were scrumptious in Week 1. However, facing reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore and the stingy Pats defense might require more production on the ground. Top backs Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde combined for just 13 carries against the Falcons. Of course, when Wilson can’t miss why run? “We love running the football. We always have, and those guys will get more carries as we move down through the schedule,” Pete Carroll said. New England did a masterful job last week holding Ryan Fitzpatrick to 191 yards passing and the Fins to 269 total yards. Avoiding third downs will be critical for the Seahawks. They converted 3 of 9 chances against Atlanta while the Pats allowed Miami to convert just 4 of 11 third down opportunities.
Injury Report
The Pats might be questioning the release of Mohamed Sanu about now. Starting receivers Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry came out of the Week 1 tilt a little banged up. The pair was limited in practice this week and both will play on Sunday barring anything major happening between now and kickoff. But the receiving corps was thin to begin with and having Edelman and Harry dealing with nagging ailments isn’t going to help a passing game that floundered against Miami. Six players ran for more than 20 yards taking some pressure off Newton and the passing game. Still, Cam threw only 19 passes for 155 yards with a long of 25. At some point that part of the offense will have to produce. It could be this week.
Seattle emerged from the opener rather unscathed. Defensive end Rasheem Green left the opener with a shoulder and returned. He’s an important tool to stop New England’s ground game and also pressure Newton. They didn’t need him in the opener, but there’s a chance Phillip Dorsett is back in the lineup. Wilson threw for 322 yards on 31 of 35 passing with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Dorsett’s presence would put additional pressure on the Pats’ secondary.
Free ATS Pick
Past battles have Newton and the Seahawks quite familiar with one another. There is the unpredictability of his game and Cam showed he’s still got it by running for 75 yards and a pair of scores last week. Unfortunately for Seattle the home field advantage will be negated without fans in the stands. Both teams are strong defensively but with two dynamic quarterbacks I’m leaning toward the OVER. Keep an eye on the line and if it drops below the key number I’d jump on the home team.
NFL Pick: Seahawks 27, Patriots 24
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