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Week 2 NFL futures best bets: Don’t sleep on the Seattle Seahawks

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Week 2 NFL futures best bets: Don’t sleep on the Seattle Seahawks


Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books, and we’re starting to learn more about the league’s landscape in 2024.

Each week in this column, I’ll analyze a futures bet I’m taking before the coming week’s games.

This week it’s the Seahawks, who I like better than Ryan Dunleavy does. My Post colleague still has Seattle ranked 21st in his Week 2 Power Rankings.

Kenneth Walker III finished with 103 yards and this touchdown in Week 1. Getty Images

Week 2 NFL futures best bets

Before the season, I wrote about the teams I’m buying and selling to make the playoffs. The Seahawks were my biggest buy at nearly 2-1 odds, and that number is long gone after an opening-week win.

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However, I still see value in plus-money odds, and my confidence is rising in this team despite a sloppy Week 1 showing at home against the Broncos.

Trailing at halftime, the Seahawks needed some time to get rolling on both sides of the ball. It’s not shocking, given the team’s new coaching staff elected to play starters sparingly in the preseason.

The ball got rolling in the second half, though, and I was incredibly impressed with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense.

Yes, Seattle was facing a rookie quarterback (Bo Nix) making his first start on the road. However, the Seahawks have tons of young defensive talent that flashed in Week 1.

Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen could be the league’s best young cornerback duo. Julian Love was PFF’s highest-graded safety in Week 1, and rookie Byron Murphy II is a problem for opponents on the defensive line. Boye Mafe is also poised for a breakout season, logging nine pressures against Denver.

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My biggest concern for the Seahawks is their offensive line, which ranked 29th in pass-block win rate in Week 1. Charles Cross continues to ascend as a franchise left tackle, but the rest of the group leaves much to be desired.

Eventually, getting Abraham Lucas back will help, and offensive line coach Scott Huff led a Washington line last year that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award.

Huff worked under Ryan Grubb at Washington. Grubb’s offense utilized motion at a 78.9 percent rate in Week 1, up from 53.2 percent in 2023 and the highest rate in a game with Geno Smith since he became the starter in 2021.


Geno Smith had a solid showing in the Week 1 win. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

The diversification of the rushing attack paid dividends, with running back Kenneth Walker III taking over the game in the second half.

I also loved Macdonald’s aggressiveness in the game, going for a two-point conversion in the second quarter and instructing Grubb to go for the kill on offense late despite holding just a six-point lead.

Seattle is an analytics-driven organization, and risk calculation makes a massive difference throughout a season compared to other coaches, including the Raiders’ Antonio Pierce, whose conservative play-calling and decision-making hurt their teams.

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The competition in the NFC took a hit this week.

In the NFC West, the Rams lost star receiver Puka Nacua (knee) for at least four games after he was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, one of three players the team put on IR. They are also dealing with a cluster of injuries in their secondary and along the offensive line.

Elsewhere, Green Bay lost Jordan Love for the foreseeable future, Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins had a rocky debut in Week 1 and Tampa Bay is dealing with significant injury woes. Seattle’s path to at least a wild-card spot is increasing.


Betting on the NFL?


After Week 1, FTN gives the Seahawks a 63.6 percent chance to make the playoffs, and the current +110 odds offer an implied probability of 47.6 percent, showing clear value on the current number.

The Seahawks are also priced at +500 to win the NFC West (16.7 percent implied probability), with FTN giving them a 26.2 percent chance at the division crown.

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I recommend a full-unit bet on the Seahawks to make the playoffs at +110 and a quarter-unit bet on them to win the division at +500 odds.

NFL futures best bets

  • Seahawks to make playoffs (+110, DraftKings)
  • Seahawks to win NFC West (+500, FanDuel)



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Seattle weather: A wet morning turning to showers, mild temperatures Thursday

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Seattle weather: A wet morning turning to showers, mild temperatures Thursday


Mostly cloudy skies and a few light showers moved back into Washington Wednesday, and steadier rainfall continues tonight. 

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Mostly cloudy skies and a few light showers moved back into Washington Wednesday, and steadier rainfall continues tonight. 

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Steady morning rain can be expected across the Puget Sound. Widespread showers will continue through midday, with more scattered showers by the evening. 

Rain Thursday

Steady morning rain can be expected across the Puget Sound. 

The heaviest rainfall Thursday will be around the north sound and along the coast. Showers will continue Thursday night into Friday with snow levels slowly dropping to a rain snow mix at the major mountain passes. 

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Rain Forecast

Heaviest rain Thursday will be around the north sound and along the coast. 

Showers and breezy wind at times will continue into the weekend. We will see mild temperatures through the weekend as well.

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Showers and breezy wind at times will continue into the weekend. 

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The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Claire Anderson and the National Weather Service.

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Winning Thoughts: Blue Jackets get a needed win in Seattle | Columbus Blue Jackets

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Winning Thoughts: Blue Jackets get a needed win in Seattle | Columbus Blue Jackets


After CBJ wins, we’ll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we’ll remember from the Blue Jackets’ victory.

BLUE JACKETS 2, KRAKEN 1 (SHOOTOUT)

1. The Blue Jackets got to celebrate a win … even if it took a second.

With the game on his stick, Charlie Coyle crossed the blue line and ripped a shot off the post and past Matt Murray to give the Blue Jackets two much-needed points Tuesday night.

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And with a four-game losing streak in their past, the Blue Jackets excitedly jumped off the bench to mob their shootout hero, right?

Not exactly.

After Coyle’s perfect shot got past Murray to secure the second point, neither the shooter nor his teammates went crazy. Coyle skated back to the bench with a square jaw, and the Blue Jackets on the bench took a second to look around before they streamed off to celebrate the victory.

So, what happened?

“I think guys kind of forgot that it was over,” Zach Werenski said. “They went first. I feel like guys kind of were just like, I know (Damon Severson) looked at me and was like, ‘It is over?’”

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Or maybe it was just, after three games in four days, while switching time zones twice, and also dealing with a flu bug going through the team, the Blue Jackets were just too tired to celebrate.

“I think it was a little bit of a grind for everyone with the sickness and the bug going around,” Mathieu Oliver said. “I think was it more kind of relief when we saw him go bar down there, which was unbelievable, but a lot of relief for our group.”

Whatever the reason was, Coyle’s goal didn’t set off a massive celebration, but it did clinch a crucial victory for the Blue Jackets to finish off a long road trip right but also put two points in the standings. The veteran went on to joke that he thought the delayed celebration was just because everyone was so stunned he scored on such a sweet finish, but he was more than happy to celebrate once everyone congregated by the CBJ bench.

“Maybe it was like a mutual thing because I didn’t really react fully, and then they didn’t react,” Coyle said. “And then Jet (Greaves) slowly kind of skated out so everyone kind of jumped, but that’s gonna be funny looking back. But that’s the long road trip, so it’s a sigh of relief, I think.”

2. Coyle’s goal clinched a huge victory marked by the Blue Jackets battling through adversity.

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Think of it this way. The Blue Jackets lost in one of the most stunning ways possible Monday night at Edmonton, then flew to Seattle for the second half of a back-to-back against a rested foe. Illness has been working its way through the team, and things got even worse for the Blue Jackets when captain Boone Jenner left early in the second period with injury.

Given all those factors combined, you probably wouldn’t have expected a CBJ win tonight, but the Blue Jackets delivered.

“I think it speaks a lot about our character,” Werenski said. “Obviously the road trip hasn’t gone our way and we’re obviously not happy about how some of the games have gone, but we just dug deep and found a way to win this one. We got three of four points in the last 24 hours, and I’m really proud of our group.”

And in some ways, maybe that adversity helped the Blue Jackets along the way.

“To do that with the guys who have been sick and out of the lineup, with the mid-game adjustments, I think it helps guys zone in more because you have to know who’s up,” Coyle said. “It’s not the regular lies and all that, so that definitely could help.

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“Hey, we came through, and that’s a sign of a good team.”

3. The Blue Jackets exercised patience on the way to the victory.

Seattle has one of the best defensive teams in the NHL and speed to burn, so their game plan has been relatively simple this season. The Kraken want teams to have to earn it, turning up the pressure and trying to force turnovers before going the other way.

But on a night where it would have been easy to fold up the tent, the Blue Jackets showed an enviable level of discipline. Instead of opening themselves up to mistakes in the middle of a taut game, Columbus stayed the course and did what it had to do on the defensive end to get it to overtime.

“What we liked, and we’ve talked about this a lot, is we were on the right side (of the puck),” head coach Dean Evason said. “We were on the Jackets side. We didn’t cheat the game tonight. We didn’t give them those freebies, the odd-man rushes, and the odd-man rushes, the ones that have hurt is here this year.”

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Cardinals Coach Gets Real on Blowout Loss to Seahawks

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Cardinals Coach Gets Real on Blowout Loss to Seahawks


ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals were, for perhaps the first time in Jonathan Gannon’s career, outmatched to epic proportions in their Week 10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Cardinals fans blinked, and they were down 7-0. They got up to get some snacks and came back to a 35-0 deficit that surely wasn’t going to be reversed.

“(We) didn’t play our best ball against a good team and got beat up pretty good, but they understand why that happened and what we need to do better moving forward,” Gannon told reporters this week.

“I did tell them we have to learn from it and then we have to flush it because just like any win or loss,(it) doesn’t matter how you get there. The most important thing is the next week, so that’s where our focus will be going to San Francisco here.”

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READ: Which Arizona Cardinals are on the Hot Seat?

Arizona has now lost their last six-of-seven games entering their Week 11 matchup with the 49ers, and the team will practically need to win-out in order to do the unthinkable and make the postseason.

As for their drubbing in Seattle, Gannon says digging that massive early deficit didn’t do the organization any favors.

“We had some assignment issues, some technique issues. We actually won the double positive, but when you spot a team 14 points on offense and they score the first three drives and you find yourself down 35 to nothing, that’s a tough hole to come out of,” he said.

“Games can get away pretty quick from you when that happens. What I do appreciate though, (is) they did battle, and we had a chance, honestly, in my opinion, at the end of the third to cut it to a two-score game. The effort was there, and they reset themselves, but no one feels good about how that game unfolded.”

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READ: Cardinals Not Sugarcoating Anything After Loss

It’s rare to see a Cardinals loss where they were truly outmatched over the course of 60 minutes, though that was the case at Lumen Field.

Is this the most frustrated Gannon’s been as a coach?

“When you say frustrated, I don’t know (if that’s) the right word. You learn and move on. That’s why I said no one in that team meeting today—nobody’s looking around (asking) how did that happen? We collectively allowed that to happen. All of us in there. You take that on a chin, and you move on. Frustration (is) just a waste of time,” said Gannon.



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