Seahawks Bills Odds
Posted by Steve Janus - Google+
This Sunday the Seattle Seahawks will look to continue their playoff push when they take on the Buffalo Bills in a special NFL matchup in Toronto. The game will be played at Rogers Centre. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 EST and will be televised regionally on FOX. Oddsmakers currently have Seattle listed as a 5-point favorite with the total posted at 42.5 points.
Why Buffalo Will Cover:
The Bills come in off a 12-15 home loss to the Rams in a game where they had complete control until the very end. Buffalo led the entire way before allowing St Louis to score the go-ahead touchdown with just 48 seconds left in regulation. The loss dropped the Bills to 5-8 overall and all but eliminated them from the playoffs.
The key for Buffalo covering the spread is whether or not they come to play. Due to their poor record and inability to string together a couple of wins, few people realize just how well this team has been playing of late, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In their last four games they have held their opponent to 20-points or less and are doing it with great play against both the run and the pass. During this recent 4-game stretch, they have held their opponents to an average of just 68.75 ypg on the ground and 185.5 ypg through the air. If the defense continues to play at this level, you have to like the Bills chances of covering a 5-point spread.
The other factor in play in this game, is that Seattle is a completely different team on the road than they are at home. The Seahawks are just 2-5 on the road compared to a perfect 6-0 at home. Seattle’s two wins away from home came against Carolina 16-12 and at Chicago 23-17 in overtime. Given how bad they have been on the road and the fact that they have a huge home game against the 49ers on deck next week, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Seahawks lost this game outright.
It’s going to be hard for the public to bet against the Seahawks after watching them embarrass Arizona 58-0 at home last week, but history tells us that the Bills are showing a ton of value. Seattle is just 1-14 ATS off a blowout win by 21 points or more over a division rival since 1992 and are just 2-12 ATS in road games after allowing 9-points or less in their last game since 1992.
Why Seattle Will Cover:
This is a huge game for the Seahawks, as they simply can’t afford to drop a game against a team like the Bills at this point in the season, especially with a could of division games against the 49ers and Rams on deck. Seattle currently holds one of the two NFC Wild Card spots, but Washington, Dallas and Minnesota are all right behind them at 7-6 and the Rams are also in the picture at 6-6-1.
The importance of this game for Seattle is a big reason why you have to like their chances of winning this game and covering the number. The Bills went into last week’s game against St Louis with the belief that they could win out and make the playoffs. Those hopes of making the postseason will no longer be there and could find it very difficult to get motivated to go up to Toronto and take on a very physical team like the Seahawks. You also have to take into consideration that these two teams play once every four years, so there isn’t much history between them. Buffalo isn’t going to get as much satisfaction of playing spoiler against a team like the Seahawks, compared to if they were playing a rival out of the AFC.
There’s no question the Bills defense has played extremely well of late, but they haven’t played a physical team like Seattle who thrives on stopping the run and pounding the football down your throat with Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks play a very similar style of football to that of San Francisco, and the 49ers beat the Bills 45-3 earlier this season. San Francisco rushed for 311 yards and three touchdowns and held the Bills to just 89 yards rushing. If you can shut down the Bills ground attack, their offense really doesn’t pose much of a threat.
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