The lines are from Covers.com and the home teams are in CAPs.
They say that you can only beat who they put in front of you and the Patriots have done that all season long. The Seahawks, on the other hand, have done that just the same – but against much harder competition throughout.
Both sides boast strong defences and QBs that can make mistakes at times, with Drake Maye being prone to fumbles and Sam Darnold throwing the ball up for grabs a bit too often.
But the big difference is getting back to that first point: The Seahawks have been battle-hardened while the Pats just haven’t played against a team at this level.
Seattle ranks among on the best teams over the past few decades in terms of DVOA and have some pretty clear advantages over the Patriots in many areas.
Of course, there are paths to victory for New England, but there are just more of them for Seattle.
Look for both Mike McDonald and Mike Vrabel coming out with some solid defensive gameplans to start this one out, but things should open up with a few big plays here and there when things get settled down.
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Some prop picks to look at
Both teams have some weak spots on the offensive lines and strong defensive fronts, which should mean the unders on rushing totals could cash … Cooper Kupp and Hunter Henry are two receiving targets to take a look at as secondary options, especially with Jaxon Smith-Njiba sure to garner double-coverage and Seattle’s weakness against TEs … As the guy getting the ball on Seattle’s version of the tush push, AJ Barner has good odds for anytime TD scorer … While rushing totals for the QBs can be dicey due to potential kneel downs, rushing attempts are a safer play … If you’re looking for some real fun stuff, go for tails on the coin flip, under on length of the national anthem and yellow/green for Gatorade colour.
PICK: Seahawks -4.5
FINAL SCORE: Seattle 22, New England 16
MVP: Sam Darnold, SEA
Conference finals: 1-1
This playoffs: 4-8
This season: 121-143-8