On paper, the Seattle Seahawks appear to be one of the league’s weakest teams. Some bookmakers anticipate they will finish the season with a victory total of approximately 5.5 games after losing both Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner.
Against their schedule’s heavy hitters, they have little hope of causing an upset. As a result, we are certain that the team has a good opportunity of making a good start to the season, perhaps even going 4-0 before the more challenging games begin. Using this method, they can achieve their goal.
Week 1: Force Russell Wilson To Evolve
As the Seahawks are well-aware of the limitations of Russell Wilson, they may have devised the most intriguing defensive strategy in the last ten years. In the face of pressure, we’ve seen Wilson stretch plays with his legs before throwing deep.
There should be a lot of two-high safety looks in this situation to make Wilson go against his instincts by dinking and dunking downfield. This quarterback will either pass into coverage or be picked off for 15 yards sooner or later because of his inability to keep his cool under pressure.
On paper, Denver appears to be the superior squad, but the outcome of this game could be decided by a single unforced error.
Week 2: Air It Out In The Bay
It’s better not to try to establish the run against the Niners, who had the second-best rushing defense in the league last year by DVOA. The idea should be to allow Geno Smith or Drew Lock to work the ball downfield with their receivers rather than repeatedly running into a brick wall.
Week 3: Make Marcus Mariota Beat You
In Atlanta, rookie Desmond Ridder has a chance to start, but until we hear otherwise, we’ll presume it’s Marcus Mariota. Fortunately for the Seahawks’ defence, Mariota’s passing skill is lacking even if he is a gifted athlete.
To get Mariota to make excellent decisions with the ball, the goal here should be to swarm the box and put pressure on him to do so. Since then, his touchdown-to-interception ratio has dipped to 32/26. Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier can’t get away from Seattle’s defence, so Mariota and Falcons wide receivers will have to do the rest.
Week 4: Punish Detroit On The Ground
Last year, the Lions’ run defence was among the worst in the NFL, as measured by the DVOA, placing them at No. 31. Rashaad Penny and Ken Walker should combine for a one-two punch to punish them, then set up those long-range action shots.
That should be the plan this week. The Lions don’t have the front-line personnel to consistently stop a competent rushing offence until they prove otherwise. That’s exactly what Pete Carroll is known for.