OK, here goes with the prediction. I have struggle all week with how I thought this game would play out. One thing I do know, if I were in Vegas I'd take the Lambs and the 10 in a heartbeat. Yes, I know that's what the casinos want, but the history between these two teams the last two years says this will be a very close game. So with that......
1. I worry a LOT about the coaching matchup. I have seen Jeff Fisher outcoach Pete/Bevell the last couple of times the 2 teams have played. The most disturbing of those games was the last one in St. L when Seattle had 11 days to prepare for the Rams and laid a HUGE egg as their defensive game plan ate our team alive.
2. I don't like the offense matching up with their D even if the game plan is better. The Hawks o-line is below average and as we saw last week, last matchup vs. St. L and pretty much the last two years what happens when our O goes against a very good D-line. That said, the game plan MUST be better to offset Seattle's o-line deficiencies, whatever those plays are (screens, slants, ZR, what the hell ever!!).
3. I think it's very unlikely Russ plays as poorly as last week which certainly was one of his worst performance as a pro. That's encouraging.
4. I think it unlikely they move the ball against the Hawks' D unless Seattle lets Stacy run on them like last time. I find that very unlikely because I'm guessing "gap integrity" has been mentioned like 1000 times in defensive meetings/game planning this week.
All that said, I don't see Seattle scoring much because I think the poor play of the o-line has finally caught up with this team. When teams have the personnel to negate RW's scrambling, this offense is sunk. And that's particularly true when the run game is struggling as it has the last several weeks. I believe this will be the undoing of the team in the playoffs (Carolina or even worse and God forbid, the Whiners) and we will see a game like last week where the D plays lights out but the O struggles so badly that the Hawks lose a game they probably should've won. Despite all of that, I don't think the Rams are good enough offensively to be one of those teams....the Cards weren't either but the difference will be a better game out of Russ and the Hawks scrape out a win.
Hawks 13
Lambs 9
To date: same as the Hawks record cuz I haven't predicted a loss all year (though it was VERY close this week)
