Chiefs Seahawks Betting – Two Middle-Of-The-Road Teams Battle In Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks might be leading their division, but no one thinks they’re a particularly elite team. The same is true for the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL Betting: Kansas City Chiefs @ Seattle Seahawks
Online Betting Odds: Kansas City Chiefs -1.5
Why To Bet On The Chiefs
This is a game between two very inconsistent ball clubs that are both limited on the offensive side of the ball. Kansas City should not be intimidated by Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks have been lousy in the red zone all season long and have kicked way too many chip-shot field goals. Seattle has also struggled to protect quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, a longstanding point of frustration for the franchise ever since it reached Super Bowl XL in the 2005 season. Kansas City has a very good chance of bottling up the Seahawks’ offense and turning this game into an ugly affair that it can win in the fourth quarter. Vegas sees this as a pick; since the game is being played in Seattle, that means the Chiefs would be favored by a field goal on a neutral field and would rate as a six-point favorite at home. That’s probably not very far from the reality of these two teams; Kansas City’s defense should pose problems for Seattle’s offensive front, and if you can win that battle, you stand a very good chance of being able to hold the Seahawks in check.
One other reason to bet on the Chiefs: Kansas City coach Todd Haley, formerly the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, spent a lot of time studying the Seahawks’ current personnel when he operated in the NFC West. This is not an unfamiliar opponent for the Kansas City coaching staff.
Why To Bet On The Seahawks
One of the hidden stories of this game is something that could very well work to the Seahawks’ advantage on Sunday afternoon in Seattle. Obviously, Pete Carroll is the head coach of the Hawks, but before he came back to the NFL, he worked as the head coach at USC. One thing to note is that Carroll was heavily involved with the defensive play calling at USC. He worked in tandem with multiple coordinators to make second-half adjustments, especially angled cornerback blitzes that often ambushed opponents. One of those foes from Carroll’s USC days was the University of Notre Dame. The coach for the Fighting Irish from 2005 through 2009 was Charlie Weis. In five meetings, Carroll defeated Weis and Notre Dame five times. Carroll regularly won the chess match against the Irish head coach, who was responsible for offensive play calling.
What does this have to do with Sunday’s game? Weis, very simply, is Kansas City’s offensive coordinator. Therefore, Carroll and Weis are going to be attacking each other whenever the Chiefs have the ball. Carroll’s knowledge of Weis’ tendencies should give Seattle a pronounced advantage on defense. Having a loud home crowd at Qwest Field in the Emerald City shouldn’t hurt the Seahawks, either.
How The Game Will Play Out
This will indeed be ugly, but the ugliness will be shared by both teams. The Chiefs should have won in their last West Coast road trip, but a dropped interception late in the fourth quarter doomed them in an overtime loss at the Oakland Raiders. Kansas City has a hard time closing down games on the road, so take Seattle. Pete Carroll will defeat Charlie Weis for the sixth consecutive time.
Chiefs Seahawks Betting Pick: Seahawks
