The Seattle Seahawks head into Week 2 for a showdown against the New England Patriots, the most surprising 1-0 team in the NFL right now. Ahead of this Seahawks-Patriots tilt, let’s make a few bold Seahawks Week 2 predictions.
Seattle comes into this game 1-0 as well after beating the Denver Broncos 26-20 in Week 1. While they came away with the W, the game was a little close for comfort against a team starting a rookie quarterback for the first time in a hostile environment on the road. In the Seahawks’ Week 2 matchup against the Patriots, the offense will have to do a better job putting the ball in the end zone instead of settling for field goals, and the offensive line should try not to give up TWO safeties in the first half.
New England hosts Seattle coming off a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that almost no one expected, especially the thousands of people knocked out of their survivor pools in Week 1. They got the W by controlling the ball on the ground and flummoxing Joe Burrow and company with tough defense. So, was that more about the Patriots being better than expected or the Bengals being worse?
We’ll find out this coming Sunday as we make some bold Seahawks Week 2 predictions for their 1 pm ET game against the Patriots in Foxborough.
Kenneth Walker III has a day
Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
The Patriots beat the Bengals by getting after Burrow with a fierce pass rush and solid coverage in the secondary. Despite Christian Barmore going out indefinitely with blood clots and the team trading Matthew Judon, the defensive line still put heat on the QB. They dropped Burrow three times and forced him to fumble once.
Cincy also couldn’t get anything going in the run game, but that seemed like more of their own fault, either through game-plan and play-calling and roster building. Bengals running backs Zack Moss and Chase Brown only had 12 total carries.
This week, getting carries won’t be an issue for the Seahawks. Without Barmore, the heart of the Patriots line is unquestionably weaker, and the Seahawks are well-built to take advantage of that. Kenneth Walker III had 20 carries alone and Zach Charbonnet added another eight.
The first of the Seahawks bold Week 2 predictions is that Walker and Charbonnet roll here, each putting up double-digit carries and Walker coming away with over 100 yards again.
The Seahawks run defense flexes its muscles
On the other side, the Patriots run game beat up on the Bengals defense in Week 1. Rhamondre Stevenson finished with 25 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, which is how the Pats managed to get into position to score 16 points.
Last season, the Seahawks run defense was second-worst in the NFL, allowing 2,352 yards and 19 touchdowns. This season, the team re-signed Jonathan Hankins, Jarran Reed is fully healthy after dealing with nagging injuries last season, and the team re-signed Leonard Wilkins. The biggest change, though, is head coach Mike Macdonald, who is a defensive guru who has crafted outstanding units for both Harbaugh brothers — at Michigan and for the Baltimore Ravens — over the years.
With an improved rush defense, the Seahawks will scheme it up to stop Stevenson on Sunday, and if they do and Brissett has to pass 30-plus times that is not a winning formula for the Patriots.
Seahawks 20, Patriots 12
As NFL fans, we love to overreact to each week, especially in Week 1. However, the teams that win often aren’t as good as they may seem, and vice versa. New England had a great week against Cincinnati, but all the flaws are still there. Those flaws could show up in a big way against Seattle.
West Coast teams coming east and playing at 1 pm ET don’t have a great track record, but in this case, there is enough of a talent disparity and some good matchups for the Seahawks.
If Seattle wants to return to the playoffs in 2024, which they have the talent to do, they must win games like this. And the last of the bold Seahawks Week 2 predictions is that Geno Smith and company do just that and win rather comfortably.
