The Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers Kick-Off the 2014 NFL Season
BetAnySports’ NFL Pick of the Week for Week One of the NFL is the Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks. The 2014 NFL Season is kicking off with this premier matchup and the season should be a great one as we move forward.
BAS’ current line: Seattle Seahawks -5 1/2 and the total is at 46.5
The start of another season in the NFL gets underway with a bang this Thursday night when the Green Bay Packers invade CenturyLink Field to square-off against the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. BetAnySports has listed the Seahawks as 5 1/2 home favorites with the total set at 46.5 points.
Green Bay won the NFC North last season with a straight-up record of 8-7-1 and it became very apparent that this is a totally different team without quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the lineup. The Packers went 6-2 SU with the veteran gunslinger under center and they fell to 2-5-1 SU when he was recovering from a broken collarbone. The running game is anchored by Eddie Lacy and overall this offense was ranked third in the NFL in total yards and eighth in scoring with an average of 26.1 points per game.
The Packers’ defense slipped to 25th in the league in total yards allowed last season and this unit allowed an average of 26.8 PPG. Head coach Mike McCarthy drafted free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with the 21st overall pick and then went on to add two additional defensive players in the first four rounds to add some depth on this side of the ball.
Seattle opened the 2013 season as second-favorites behind San Francisco to even win its division, but after going 13-3 to claim the NFC West title, it went on to win last year’s Super Bowl in a convincing fashion. Ever since the reigning champs have been given the honor of opening the new season with the first game of the year, they have gone 18-2 SU (11-9 against the spread).
There is no doubt that Seattle remains one of the most talented teams in the league behind quarterback Russell Wilson and a defense that was ranked first in the NFL in both yards and points allowed. The trick to repeating this feat is to avoid the dreaded Super Bowl hangover that has impacted so many other teams over the years.
It is hard to bet against the winning trend for Super Bowl champs in the following season’s opener, but that is a SU result. I am following suit in my official pick for this game with Seattle getting the SU win, while Green Bay covers with the five points on the road in BetAnySports’ NFL betting odds for this game.
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