Seattle Seahawks NFL Betting Preview: Russell Wilson Chasing Greatness

Posted on: September 11, 2020, 07:25h. 

Last updated on: September 11, 2020, 12:47h.

Bill Huber Read More

Expertise: Sports Betting, Sports.

With Tom Brady hoarding Super Bowl trophies, three of the era’s great quarterbacks — Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, New Orleans’ Drew Brees, and Seattle’s Russell Wilson — enter this season with only one NFL championship apiece.

The 31-year-old Wilson, with seven playoff appearances in eight career seasons, hopes to do nothing short of challenge Brady’s six-championship dominance as he enters the back nine of his career.

I always want to be known as one of the clutch players to ever play this game,” Wilson told reporters on Thursday. “I also want to be known as the greatest winner.”

The Seahawks, who are the popular bet in Sunday’s opener at Atlanta, are on the shortlist of prime favorites to win this year’s Super Bowl.

Their championship odds range from +1,400 at BetMGM and Westgate SuperBook to +2,200 at DraftKings.

Over/Under: 9.5 Wins

Seattle went 11-5 last season, giving it 10-plus wins for the seventh time in Wilson’s eight seasons. However, it went 10-2 in games decided by one score. That’s hard to duplicate.

Thus, the consensus over/under win total is 9.5. DraftKings’ bet of -106 on the over and -115 on the under is fairly representative.

The Seahawks are a very public team because of Russell Wilson,” Ed Salmons, the vice president of risk management for SuperBook, told Casino.org. “The general public really likes the Seahawks, and we lose a decent amount of money on them to win the Super Bowl.”

With Wilson, practically anything is possible. Since taking over as Seattle’s starter in 2012, Wilson and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford are tied with a league-high 28 game-winning drives. When the going gets tough, one of the smallest guys on the field generally comes up big.

The 49ers are the favorite to win the NFC West. But the Seahawks should be right there in the hunt. Their divisional odds range from +200 at PointsBet to +230 at FanDuel.

Russell Brings Betting Muscle

Wilson, who trails only Rodgers in terms of career passer rating, is surrounded by talent. Rocket-fast Tyler Lockett and imposing D.K. Metcalf are the receivers, and veteran Greg Olsen was added at tight end.

Running back Chris Carson is back after missing the end of last season with a hip injury. He was among the NFL leaders with 1,230 rushing yards, and his absence in the playoffs ruined Seattle’s Super Bowl aspirations.

Most of Seattle’s run of excellence in the last eight years was fueled by its “Legion of Boom” defense. That unit has taken several hits over the years, though. After finishing in the top five in points allowed in five consecutive seasons from 2012 through 2016, it ranked 13th in 2017, 11th in 2018, and 22nd in 2019. To that end, general manager John Schneider traded for elite safety Jamal Adams and used his first-round pick on linebacker Jordyn Brooks.

Perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner is +2,500 to win Defensive Player of the Year at BetMGM, while Adams is +2,900 to win that award at FanDuel.

Pete Carroll, who will turn 69 on Tuesday but remains a fountain of energy, is +2,500 to win Coach of the Year at MGM, but +4,000 at SuperBook.

Editor’s Note: This is the 30th of 32 NFL team previews and the second of four on the NFC West.