Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos Betting Prediction, Free Pick
A rematch of the 2014 Super Bowl is set to take place Sunday in Denver, but both teams look drastically different than the 2014 version of their teams. Seattle has completely revamped their roster on the defensive side of the ball and no longer possess the “Legion of Boom” that struck fear into opposing offenses.
Denver paid a hefty price to bring in one-year wunderkind Case Keenum from Minnesota who will look to ignite a spark for a Denver offense that was anemic in 2017. This 4:25 ET start in Denver has Denver currently sitting at a -3 point favorite with an over/under at 42 points.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle will always be a threat to win on any given night due to having Russell Wilson behind center. Wilson has shown that he can single-handedly win games when everything else around him is collapsing. Wilson will need help from the running game to take some pressure off of him, and Seattle will trot out the uninspiring Chris Carson in Week 1 to try and do that.
The receiving corps lost Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson but returns Doug Baldwin, who is going to be slowed by injury all season. On offense, this team will go as Wilson goes, plain and simple. Defensively, this unit will be without mainstays Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Michael Bennett and Richard Sherman who are either injured, traded, released, or holding out.
Seattle finished 2017 in the middle of the pack for points and yards allowed, a far cry from the dominant force they were only a few years ago.
Denver Broncos
Denver has a coach on the hot seat in Vance Joseph. GM John Elway gave Joseph another year after giving him a competent NFL quarterback when he signed Case Keenum away from the Minnesota Vikings. Keenum will have to have the spark he had for the Vikings last year for this team to compete in a very tough division.
Running the ball will be Royce Freeman, a rookie out of the University of Oregon who put up video game like numbers over his career for the Ducks. The receiving corps has the familiar faces of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanual Sanders, but also adds another big play threat after drafting Courtland Sutton out of SMU. Defensively, this team performed poorly statistically last season, but the numbers were inflated by being on the field too much as the Denver offense could not get anything going. Von Miller and rookie Bradley Chubb should form one of the top pass rushing duos in the NFL this season.
Getting to Russell Wilson or making him extremely uncomfortable, will be a key for the Broncos as their secondary has a few questions to open the season.
Pick and Prediction
The Seahawks have continuity going for them on the offensive side of the ball. They know what their players can do and what they want them to do. Denver has a new quarterback and a rookie running back leading the way for them on offense, so there may be some timing and familiarity issues. In the end, Wilson does enough with his legs to escape Miller and Chubb to make plays down the field and put points on the board.
Denver’s offense simply will not be able to score enough points to keep up. Seattle wins the game, covers the +3 spread, and the teams cover the over. Take Seattle 24-21 at YouWager.
