The Seahawks took care of the hopeless Carolina Panthers last week after losing two games badly to the Chiefs & Saints.  The Seahawks are tied for first place in the NFC West with the Rams.  After losing their first five games of the year, the Niners are 4-3.  The Seahawks beat the Niners 31-6 in the season opener in Seattle.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are going to come out throwing the ball against a Niners’ D that is allowing 223.2 yards passing per game.  Ben Obomanu & Deon Butler are going to have to step up for the Seahawks with Mike Williams likely out this weekend.  Marshawn Lynch & Justin Forsett will try to give the offense some balance this Sunday but it won’t be easy as the Niners are only giving up 101.4 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The Niners are going to open the offense back up with Alex Smith under center.  The Seahawks are giving up 268.1 yards passing per game this year so Smith will be looking down the field to Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and maybe even Ted Ginn.  The Seahawks are also allowing 121.3 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry so far this year so look for Brian Westbrook & Anthony Dixon to get some work.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 23, SEAHAWKS 20

The Seahawks have lost two games in a row and four of their last five.  They need to right the ship this weekend against the Panthers as they are still tied for first place in the NFC West with the Rams.  The Panthers gave the Browns all they could handle in Cleveland as they lost 24-23.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are going to come out passing the ball in this game.  Matt Hasselbeck has been playing pretty well lately so if he has time to throw the ball (which he likely will) he’s going to have success.  Hasselbeck will have to be careful though as the Panthers have 13 INTs already this year.  Ben Obomanu, Brandon Stokley and Mike Williams give Hasselbeck a nice trio of receivers to throw to.  If the Seahawks were smart though they would mix in some running plays as the Panthers are allowing 130.5 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are starting to run the ball better and they will take aim at a Seahawks’ D which has allowed 172.0 yards rushing per game over the last five weeks.  Jonathan Stewart and Mike Goodson are likely going to be giving the Seahawks’ D fits in this game.  The Panthers don’t throw the ball too well though so the porous secondary of the Seahawks likely won’t be attacked this week.

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 27, PANTHERS 16

The Seahawks need this game, big time.  They are in first place in the NFC West, 1 game ahead of the Rams and 2 games ahead of both the 49ers and Cardinals.  They are in luck as they are drawing the Chiefs at Qwest Field.  The Seahawks are 3-1 at home this year while the Chiefs are 1-4 on the road where they have been outscored 139-105!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks just don’t run the ball too well.  I just can’t see them force feeding the ball to Justin Forsett, Marshawn Lynch and Leon Washington in this game.  Matt Hasselbeck has been outstanding the last couple of weeks and the Chiefs are allowing 244.3 yards passing per game so the Seahawks will be likely throwing a lot more than they will be running the ball.  It will be up to the O-Line to give Hasselbeck the needed time to get the ball to Mike Williams, Ben Obomanu and Brandon Stokley. 

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Seahawks are going to have to go all out to stop RBs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones on Sunday.  If the Seahawks can force the Chiefs to pass the ball, they might be in good shape.  The Seahawks would have to double Dwayne Bowe who is a excellent receiver but Matt Cassel doesn’t really like throwing to anyone else.

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 23, CHIEFS 20

The Seahawks have not been too good on the road this year as they are 2-3, but they have won two of their last three road games.  The Saints are only 3-2 at home this year so it’s not impossible to see a upset this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the football:  The Seahawks would be extremely smart to try to get the running game going against the Saints.  Justin Forsett & Marshawn Lynch will likely have some success against a Saints’ D that is allowing 110.7 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Seahawks will have to protect Matt Hasselbeck if they are going to have any chance of moving the ball through the air.  Mike Williams will likely be his top target in the passing game but this would be a good week to get TE John Carlson involved in the attack.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are coming off their bye week so they should be locked and loaded for this game.  The Seahawks are going to blitz Drew Brees a lot in this game as they have 26 sacks already this year.  They are going to try to force Brees into making mistakes which is something he usually doesn’t do much.  Marques Colston will be the main man in the passing game for the Saints but they will spread the ball around against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 272.2 yards passing per game.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 28, SEAHAWKS 13

The Seahawks are on a 2-game losing streak in which they lost by a combined score of 74-10!  The last team they beat was the Cardinals three weeks ago 22-10.  The Cardinals have lost 3 games in a row but they have been solid at home where they are 2-1.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the football:  The Seahawks can’t do anything well on offense.  Luckily, the Cardinals can’t stop the run (135.3 yards per game) or the pass (255.5 yards per game.  The Seahawks should come out throwing the ball with Matt Hasselbeck back at QB for this game.  He has been sacked 22 times already this year so look for the passing game to be of the short variety.  He doesn’t seem to have a favorite WR or TE so look for him to spread the ball around.  The Seahawks will also get the ball into Justin Forsett & Marshawn Lynch’s hands quite a bit tomorrow.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals would be smart to come out running the ball with Tim Hightower in this game as the Seahawks’ run D has been shredded as of late.  But the Seahawks also give up 270.5 yards passing per game so Derek Anderson should have success if he has time to throw the ball.  Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston could be in line for big games tomorrow.

PREDICTION:  CARDINALS 21, SEAHAWKS 10

The Seahawks hope to continue the magic at Qwest Field tomorrow where they are 3-0 on the season outscoring their opponents 80-36!  But it won’t be easy as the Giants have won 4 games in a row by a combined score of 120-68!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  This is going to be really interesting.  Charlie Whitehurst is making his first NFL start tomorrow against a Giants’ D that has 24 sacks already this year.  That means the Whitehurst is going to have to get rid of the ball very quick.  It would help if the Seahawks can get a running game going but it’s going to be hard to do so against the Giants who are only allowing 85.4 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry.  This has the look of a train wreck for the Seahawks.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Giants have great skill position talent and that’s going to be a big problem for the Seahawks’ D in this game.  Ahmad Bradshaw & Brandon Jacobs will be attacking a Seahawks’ D that was shredded on the ground by the Raiders last weekend.  The Seahawks are also giving up 267.7 yards passing per game so if they can’t get to Eli Manning they are going to be in big, big trouble.  That’s because Manning as an elite trio of WRs in Mario Manningham, Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks.

PREDICTION:  GIANTS 30, SEAHAWKS 13

The Seattle Seahawks have won 2 games in a row but they have not been too good on the road.  The Seahawks are 1-2 on the road where they have been outscored 71-40.  The Raiders are coming off an absolute beatdown of the Broncos in Denver 59-14.  The Raiders have also played pretty well at home as they are 2-1 in the Black Hole outscoring the opponents 75-72.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Raiders have big time issues stopping the run as they are giving up 138.9 yards rushing and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  The Seahawks will likely feed the ball to Marshawn Lynch & Justin Forsett against the Raiders for a good portion of this game.  After the Seahawks get the running game going look for them to run some play action with Matt Hasselbeck looking deep to Mike Williams & Deon Butler.  TE John Carlson also could more involved than usual this Sunday.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are averaging 158.4 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry while the Seahawks are only giving up 77.5 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry……so something has to give.  Look for the Raiders to feed the ball to Darren McFadden and Michael Bush a lot in this game.  The Raiders are going to be without WR Louis Murphy which means that rookie Jacoby Ford is going to get the start tomorrow.  Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford give the Raiders the fastest set of WRs in the league and they could give the Seahawks some trouble if they catch the ball because the Seahawks are giving up 261.3 yards passing per game this year.

PREDICTION:  RAIDERS 20, SEAHAWKS 17

The Seahawks have been awesome at Qwest Field this year as they are 2-0 and they have outscored the 49ers and Chargers by a combined score of 58-26.  The Cardinals are not too good on the road as they are 1-2 having been outscored 95-34.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks should be able to do whatever they want this weekend against the Cardinals who are allowing 140.8 yards rushing (4.3 ypc) and 241.2 yards passing per game.  With that in mind the Seahawks will likely try to be balanced.  That means that Marshawn Lynch & Justin Forsett will likely get 25-30 carries between them tomorrow afternoon.  The Cardinals only have 8 sacks this year so Matt Hasselbeck should have time to throw the ball and he will spread it around the field to multiple receivers.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals would probably like to run the ball a little bit more than usual tomorrow to help out rookie QB Max Hall.  That will be easier said than done as the Seahawks are only allowing 70.4 yards rushing per game and 2.9 yards per carry.  The Cardinals need to protect Hall better or he’s going to have a very long day.  Cardinals’ QBs have been sacked 19 times already this year and the Seahawks have 17 sacks of their own.  The Seahawks have to get to Hall or he could have a good day against a Seahawks’ D that is allowing 290.8 yards passing per game this year. 

PREDICTION:  SEAHAWKS 30. CARDINALS 13 

The Seattle Seahawks play well at home but they have had huge issues on the road where they are 0-2 and they have been outscored 51-17!  The Bears are 2-0 at home but they have not dominated there yet this year outscoring the competition 39-31.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks will want to run a balanced offense this week against the Bears.  Marshawn Lynch might get 20 or more carries this week against a tough Bears’ D to run on.  They are only allowing 78.6 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry so Lynch is going to have to earn every yard he gets.  The Seahawks O-Line will have to protect Matt Hasselbeck well if they are going to have any chance of moving the ball through the air.  TE John Carlson will probably be Hasselbeck’s top target in the passing game as his WRing corps is full of youngsters.

When the Bears have the ball:  Jay Cutler is back at QB and I think the Bears are going to get back to throwing the football.  The Bears O-Line must keep DE Chris Clemons away from Cutler so that he has time to throw the ball.  Cutler takes chances so rookie safety Earl Thomas is going to have a chance or two to make a big play at some point in this game.  The Seahawks are giving up 302.0 yards passing per game so Mike Martz has to be licking his chops.  Matt Forte will keep the Seahawks’ front seven honest as he will get his carries and catches on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 27, SEAHAWKS 13

The Seattle Seahawks dominated the Rams last year sweeping them by a combined score of 55-17.  The Seahawks and Rams look like new teams this year so things are likely to be different starting this Sunday.  The Seahawks didn’t look too good in their first road game of the year losing 31-14 to the Broncos.  They hope the second road game will be better than the first one.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Seahawks have the football:  The Seahawks have been pass heavy so far this year but that might change this weekend in St. Louis.  Justin Forsett carried the ball 25 times for 147 yards (5.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs against the Rams last year and they are giving up 133.7 yards rushing and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year.  Don’t think for a minute though that the Seahawks are going to suddenly run the ball 40 times this week.  The Rams are giving up 315.7 yards passing per game so Matt Hasselbeck will likely get his yards.

When the Rams have the ball:  Steven Jackson has a sore groin so he might sit out this Sunday.  Even if he were to start he would have a hard time getting yards against a Seahawks’ D allowing only 67.7 yards rushing and 2.6 yards per carry.  The Seahawks have 7 sacks already this year and they will likely be blitzing a lot to try to pressure rookie QB Sam Bradford into making some mistakes.  The Seahawks are giving up 315.7 yards passing per game so they need to get to Bradford before he throws the ball.

PREDICTION:  RAMS 20, SEAHAWKS 17