The Seahawks have now dropped five of their last six, including two straight, while the Washington Football Team has a modest two-game winning streak entering this matchup. Let’s analyze this contest and determine which team is on the sharp side as we continue to cash our NFL picks!
Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington Football Team
Monday, November 29, 2021 – 8:15 PM EST at FedExField
Coming off a 17-0 loss to the Packers, the Seahawks caught a break when Kyler Murray and DeAndre Wilson were ruled out of their date with the Cardinals in Seattle. But things didn’t turn out very well as Colt McCoy stepped up and torched the Hawks’ defense for 328 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes en route to a 23-13 win for the Redbirds.
On the flip side, Russell Wilson looked merely mortal again, connecting on 14-of-26 passes for 207 yards and no touchdowns. Seattle wouldn’t break the plane of the end zone until midway through the fourth quarter when DeeJay Dallas plowed his way in for a two-yard touchdown.
The loss dropped the Seahawks to 3-7 on the season and their hopes are dimming for a playoff berth to the point of a total eclipse at this point. “I’m just disappointed I have to keep coming back and talking about the same stuff,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “I don’t feel like I have good answers for you because our answers so far have not turned it.”
Is Washington Making a Name for Itself?
Although owning a 4-6 record with just seven games remaining on the regular-season slate is not cause for celebration, the way the Washington No Namers have played recently is giving their fans a sliver of hope. After a shocking 29-19 win over the Bucs, Washington buckled back down and notched a 27-21 victory over the Panthers in the hostile territory last week.
Taylor Heinicke was surgical in tossing for 206 yards on 16-of-22 passing and three touchdowns. And while the passing yards were limited, the rushing game was steamrolling the Panthers’ defensive front to the tune of 195 yards, with Antonio Gibson accounting for 95 of those yards and a 5.0 yards per carrying average.
Terry McLaurin led all receivers with five catches for 103 yards and a trip inside the end zone. Washington head coach, Ron Rivera, was making his return to the stadium he knew so very well for nine years when he coached Carolina to a 76-63-1 record and an NFC title. “I felt good. I really did,” said Rivera, who was acknowledged by the partisan crowd with a rousing ovation. “It was fun. And it would’ve been disappointing if it went the other way.”
Wanna Make a Bet?
Russell Wilson is not the same player after his finger surgery and a case could be made that he has returned too quickly. If he thinks his feet will do the talking if his fingers prevent him from doing the throwing then he will be quickly disabused of that notion as Washington has the seventh-ranked run-stop unit in the league and has the speed on the edges to limit Wilson from rolling out and moving the chains.
On the other hand, Taylor Heinicke has seized his opportunity and is making the most of it as the team’s starting quarterback. And he should be able to exploit a decimated Seattle secondary after starting cornerback, D.J. Reed, missed last week with a knee and groin injury, while his backup, Tre Brown, was injured in his stead when he suffered a season-ending knee injury of his own.
This game has the NFL odds at all of the best online sportsbooks at a pick’em and I know there will be those that will back the Seahawks because they believe Russell Wilson couldn’t possibly lose for a third time in a row, especially against a sub .500 club like Washington, and playing at home no less.
But Wilson shouldn’t be playing at all, as he is clearly in pain and it is affecting his accuracy. The defenses know this and are keying on the run. This is a good spot to fade the Hawks and jump aboard the Washington bandwagon, a team moving forward versus a team going in reverse.
NFL Pick: Washington (-106) with SugarHouse
