The Seattle Seahawks were eager to establish themselves as the NFL betting favorites in the NFC West, and this past weekend’s win over the San Francisco 49ers was certainly a step in the right direction. However, their 37-18 win over San Francisco did not come without a price. During the game Russell Wilson suffered an injury that would later be revealed to be an MCL sprain. Injuries in the NFL are always serious, especially when dealing with a ligament in the knee. Throughout his career Wilson has earned a reputation as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league.
A knee injury would certainly put a stint in that reputation, so it’s important that the young quarterback take his time to fully heal. As things stand now both Wilson and the Seahawks are optimistic about the sprain, and are preparing for Wilson to start this Sunday against the New York Jets. This fact is further highlighted by the fact that the Seahawks haven’t signed a veteran quarterback, something they would’ve indubitably done by now if Wilson’s start was questionable. The Seahawks may be confident about Wilson’s chances, but what are the best betting websites saying about Seattle’s odds against the 1-2 Jets.
Week 4 – Sunday the 2nd of October
Seattle Seahawks -3 ½ (-105) 40 (-110)
New York Jets +3 ½ (-115) 40 (-110)
Thanks to the Legion of Boom, the Seahawks are coming into Sunday’s contest as the NFL betting favorite. Like many teams in the NFL, Seattle has been relying on its defense to win games. Now with a banged up Wilson, the pressure on the defense will be intensified against the Jets.
After this Sunday’s game Seattle will have a bye week, and Wilson is confident he’ll be able to play this weekend, and then take two weeks to recover. Unfortunately for Wilson, the Jets defense has a reputation for being one of the most unforgiving in the league, and this game will not be a walk in the park for the prone-to-scramble Wilson.
The Jets defense isn’t as fearsome as years past; they’re giving up 26 points per game (22nd in the league) as well as 355.7 total yards on offense (14th in the league). New York has been terrific against the run, they currently rank 3rd in the league with opponents only averaging 71.7 yards per contest.
Seattle’s running game ranks 14th in the NFL, with an average of 102 yards gained on the ground. Those numbers aren’t that impressive and the Jets shouldn’t have an issue stopping the Seahawks on the ground. This will add further pressure on Wilson to win the game. But in the end, I’d rather have Wilson lining up under center than Ryan Fitzpatrick.
So far this season Fitzpatrick has a passer rating of 59.3. The Jets may understand that Fitzpatrick isn’t the best quarterback in the league, but New York is still expecting better numbers from a veteran. Fitzpatrick will be eager to put his last performance against the Chiefs behind him, considering the 33-year old threw for 6 interceptions.
Fitzpatrick has 7 for the season, to only 3 touchdowns, and you can be certain the Legion of Boom is licking their chops at their chance to line up opposite the veteran quarterback. With that in mind it seems that the Seahawks are a clear NFL betting favorite over the Jets, even if Wilson is banged up.