Normally, the Seattle Seahawks should have the upper hand in Week 17's bigg...
Normally, the Seattle Seahawks should have the upper hand in Week 17’s biggest matchup, a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers.
And yet, there are many reasons to think Sunday’s game won’t play out like the first meeting between the NFC West rivals.On many teams, losing your top three running backs would lead to a shift in offensive identity, toward a pass-heavy approach. But that simply isn’t the Seahawks. It certainly doesn’t help that quarterback Russell Wilson has lacked sharpness lately, especially with his vision for open receivers. That could change in a heartbeat — and Wilson is always a threat to create with his legs — but the consistency must improve.
Kittle also presents a tough matchup given the Seahawks’ defensive preferences. Seattle plays its base 4-3 defense on around 75 percent of the snaps, an extremely high number in today’s pass-happy NFL. Playing base personnel typically leaves a linebacker on the tight end. While Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright are outstanding cover men, Kittle is a difficult cover for any linebacker.Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith might be the most underrated player in football.
Even more intriguing, Smith thrives as a stand-up rover, often coming from a yard or two off the ball and timing the snap count before bursting through the A gap. He’s been so good in this area that coordinator Mike Pettine has begun incorporating the tactic on first and second down, not just obvious passing situations.
The New York Giants’ offense is much less talented than the Cowboys’, but the unit has scored 77 points across the last two weeks, and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones appears healthy. Between running back Saquon Barkley and rookie wideout Darius Slayton, the Giants have the explosiveness to break big plays, as they did throughout last week’s win.
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