Betting on the Seattle Seahawks to Win the NFC Championship

Bottom lines are such clichés. But if you want the bottom line, it is that the Seattle Seahawks will always contend for an NFC Championship as long as Russell Wilson remains at quarterback.

Despite the Seahawks’ roster limits, Wilson is one of the best in the game at picking up a team and elevating the talent of everyone around him.

And despite a suspect defense (even with Jamal Adams in town), the Seahawks are one of the best in the league at winning the turnover battle, posting a +12 in 2019, which tied for third in the league.

Their pass rush hindered them in 2019, but they think they solved the problem. And they’re one of the best in football at pulling out close contests.

The Seahawks are currently +750 at SportsBetting.ag to win the NFC Championship, but we need to discuss five issues that you need to know about before you place that bet. You’ll learn both the pros and the cons of betting on the Seahawks.

1 – Winning the Turnover Battle

Can they continue to win the turnover battle? …If so, the team that tied for third in the NFL in the turnover margin went 8-1 in the games where they won the turnover battle. That’s huge.

And with Adams in the defensive backfield, you can expect more wins in this category. He isn’t a ballhawk. But as a box safety, he can throw off opposing quarterbacks’ timing, which will create turnovers.

If you’re betting on the Seattle Seahawks, you need to make sure this trend continues. Not just so the team gets into the playoffs, if they win the battle for the ball, they will win games.

In addition to their 8-1 record in 2019, they have finished 29-4 when they lead their opponents in the turnover margin since 2016. This means they won 88% of the time when the rock bounced their way.

It’s a good year for a guy like Jamal Adams to come to town and state he wants to retire as a Seattle Seahawk because the team tied for fifth in interceptions in 2019 with 15.

A hybrid player, Adams is a marquee pass rusher despite his position at safety, logging 6.5 sacks in 2019. Having a player like Adams to creep up into the box grants Seattle a lot of opportunities.

2 – Elite Quarterback, Limited Roster

Don’t look at the team’s limited roster as a flaw. The Seahawks have a great back in Chris Carson and two great receivers in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. The problem is, you’ll find a drop off behind Carson, Lockett, and Metcalf.





Running back Rashaad Penny is a great player when healthy, but the well-built back has seen limited touches throughout his career. The same goes for Travis Homer. Now, let’s get onto the wideouts.

Phillip Dorsett figures to be the third receiver on the depth chart. He is a former first-round pick but has played like a bust over his first five seasons. Tight end Greg Olsen is in his 14^th season and his backup, Jacob Hollister, was given ample playing time in 2019 because of injuries.

Despite the limitations, it doesn’t mean the Seahawks are a bad bet to win the NFC. That’s because, as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, they have quarterback Russell Wilson, who remains one of the best in the league at what he does.

Even at 32, Wilson may not run and stretch plays as often as he once did, but he still reads defenses well and is coming off a 4,000-yard season that amassed 31 touchdown passes. He has yet to face a losing season during his time in Seattle and helped his team win two NFC Championships in 2013 and 2014.

3 – Highlighting the Pass Rush

This is one area where the Seahawks had to get better, and they did. It starts with bringing back pass-rush specialist Bruce Irvin. Irvin logged 8.5 sacks as a member of the Carolina Panthers in 2019 and has made a living on chasing quarterbacks.

Rasheem Green logged 4 sacks in 2019, and the Seahawks hope it’s a harbinger of bigger things as he enters his third season in 2020. You also need to keep an eye on first-round draft pick, Jordyn Brooks. While he’ll line up at outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense, he is a Von Miller type of player. He’s quick, fast, and a few scouts called him the draft’s “hidden gem.”

The pass rush was abysmal in 2019, with the team finishing with just 28 sacks, which ranked 29^th in the league and 15 fewer than what the team logged in 2019. It was by far the fewest number of sacks in the Pete Carroll era, which is entering its 11^th season.

If the team fixed the pass rush with Irvin leading the charge, it would free up space for a guy like Green to take command and see his sack totals double. The team addressed the pass rush, meaning they are halfway there.

And don’t forget about Jamal Adams, who recorded 2.5 more sacks than Green, who led the Seahawks in sacks in 2019. Chances are, the team’s pass rush will improve, which also improves the Seahawks’ chances to make a push for the NFC Championship.

They can already create turnovers without a pass rush. What can they create with a pass rush?

4 – Keeping It Close

No one in the NFL keeps it close better than Russell Wilson. Counting the playoffs, the Seahawks finished 11-3 in 2019.





Keeping games close to the wire, and pulling them out, puts them into the playoffs. And they almost won the NFC West as a result if it wasn’t for the San Francisco 49ers edging them out in a slugfest in Week 17.

Regardless of how the team’s schedule plays out, know that they will continue to win games that they keep close. Expect them to win those one-possession games. And if there is one team in the NFC West capable of knocking off the defending NFC Champions, it is the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks and Niners (best rivalry in the NFC) split in 2019 by a combined 8 points. The team also fixed their secondary, which was responsible for the 28-23 loss at Green Bay against the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Adding the pass rush will help the team continue to win the close ones, perhaps to a greater extent in 2020.

5 – Run Heavy

The Seahawks were one of the more run-heavy teams in 2019, running the ball 30 times as opposed to passing 32.3 times. The league average? 35 to 26. And it worked for the Seahawks, who kept games close enough to win by playing ball control throughout the game.

While Wilson won’t run as often in 2020, believe the three-headed attack in Seattle will. Chris Carson had a monster season with 278 carries for 1,230 yards, and he should pick up where he left off before succumbing to injuries. Penny should get the ball more often, having averaged 5.7 yards per carry on 65 touches in 2019.

Although Penny may start the season on the PUP list, the Seahawks can always turn to Travis Homer or DeeJay Dallas, both of whom are “every-down” depth backs who can also specialize in third-down roles. This is the one area the Seahawks seem to have more depth than the rest of the position units on the roster.

Look for a repeat of 2019 if it means the team will continue to win games by pounding the rock. While they don’t need to use the run to take the pressure off a quarterback who thrives in it, assume it to be a bonus for the Seahawks in 2020 as it was in 2019.

And that bonus means a potential NFC West title, a playoff appearance, and perhaps even an NFC Championship for the first time since 2014. As teams like the Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, and Tennessee Titans proved in 2019, running the ball still leads to wins and championship-caliber performances.

It holds true ven in a league where teams favor the pass 62.5% of the time on average as opposed to running the ball 37.5% of the time. It is something the Seahawks, Titans, and Ravens do well. The common denominator? Each made it to at least the divisional round of the playoffs in 2019.

Conclusion

The Seahawks are one of the safer bets in 2020 and their 15/2 odds reflect it. They have an elite quarterback who will help get them there regardless of how shallow the depth chart is. They could put backups at the key positions, and they still have a shot.

The team fixed their pass rush woes with Bruce Irvin, Jamal Adams, and Jordyn Brooks. Look for a bigger and better pass rush in 2020 which may better reflect 2018’s numbers.

Seattle will also pull out the close ones, as they do better than any other team in the NFL.

While only one team can win the NFC Championship, you have a safer bet in the Seattle Seahawks.