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.
Jimothy, a raccoon who may have short-spine syndrome, has gone viral overnight after being spotted around Seattle.
KIRO host John Curley tried to describe the uniquely shaped animal, who has quickly become a local celebrity, on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio.
“Just imagine a raccoon for a moment,” Curley said. “Normal raccoon in your mind. There’s a raccoon. He has the black around his eyes. You know why that is? That’s to cut down on glare, so he can see better. Like a football player has the black eye shade on there. So, a normal raccoon. Now, just imagine if you took the raccoon and you put one hand on his like snout, and you put the other hand on his backside there, and you had superhuman strength, and you were able to kind of crush him like a can, without killing him.
“No, then you kill him and throw him in the garbage. No, you just squish him a little bit, and you crush him up,” he continued. “Imagine if he’s made out of clay. Then all of a sudden, like, OK, you know he’s got this kind of bump on his back. Well, that’s what this thing looks like. Took me a long way to get to it.”
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Jimothy seen on porches, wandering through Ballard
In one video, Jimothy is seen dipping his hands into a bowl on a porch. Curley debunked the common myth that raccoons wash their food, explaining that water actually stimulates nerve endings in their fingers, helping them feel what they’re eating better.
“The raccoon will dip the food, if they find food, in water all the time, and people like, ‘Oh, they’re always washing their food. They got hygiene on their mind.’ No, it helps to stimulate the end of their fingers so that the nerve endings are more sensitive,” he said. “So they do that, and even when they can’t find water, they’ll turn it like they’re spinning it to put it in water. It’s to create more sensitivity, so they have a better idea of what they’re eating.”
Ballard residents have reported seeing Jimothy wandering across backyard decks, drinking from a dog’s water bowl, and sitting in neighborhood trees.
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
A 70-year-old Seattle real estate owner was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and filing false tax returns.
Steven Loo was convicted following a nine-day trial and ordered to spend 20 months in prison for his $4.7 million tax evasion scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Mr. Loo made a sustained, willful decision to evade taxes. The only thing that explains that is greed,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd stated. “A man who amasses $43 million in wealth can afford to pay his taxes — just like the 85% of us who pay our taxes fully and on time.”
Loo owned and operated multiple commercial real estate properties in western Washington and California, according to records filed in the case. He hired property management companies to manage the properties, and had the companies send profit from the properties to two bank accounts in the name of shell companies he controlled.
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Loo hid real estate profits through shell companies, claimed zero tax for 20 years
Loo spent the money for his benefit and for his friends and family. He also re-invested funds in various businesses he controlled. However, Loo did not declare that income— over $4.7 million — on his tax returns. He used shell companies and repeated transfers of funds to conceal the income from the IRS, according to records filed in the case.
“At trial, the government presented evidence detailing the eight properties operated by Loo via various limited liability companies (LLCs),” the attorney’s office stated. “The income from the LLCs was funneled into bank accounts associated with two specific inactive entities that were established in Washington in 1999. Loo did not report this income to the IRS. Loo failed to inform his tax return preparer of these funds that were income from his properties.”
Loo claimed he owed no tax at all over 20 years and even claimed a net refund from the IRS.
“Loo is living the American dream yet believes he has no obligation to pay the taxes that support our nation,” prosecutors said in asking for a 51-month sentence. “Loo was not content with merely failing to report his income. Instead, he contrived a plan to hide his wealth from the IRS using shell companies and money-routing schemes. When Loo’s luck ran out, and an IRS criminal investigator knocked on his door, he continued his deception by trotting out a fairy tale about using imaginary losses to offset his income.”
Along with serving prison time, Loo must also pay a $250,000 fine and serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. The attorney’s office noted Loo has already paid back taxes to the IRS of $1,603,686.
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Follow Julia Dallas on X. Read her stories here. Submit news tips here.
Get ready to rumble with tickets to these newly announced shows. Groovy genre-bending bassist Thundercat will come through Seattle to support his recent release, Distracted. Pop-rock singer-songwriter Michelle Branch has announced a new album and cross-country tour for the fall. Plus, Daily Show correspondent and former pro tennis player Michael Kosta brings his Big Dad Energy stand-up special to Seattle next spring. Read on for details!
ON SALE FRIDAY, JULY 17
MUSIC
The Amity Affliction: House of Cards 2026 Showbox SoDo (Fri Nov 27)
Bravo the Bagchaser & Peysoh The Crocodile (Wed Sept 23)
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Candlebox – Can’t Quit You Tour Paramount Theatre (Fri Sept 25)
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