I have about 7-9 leans with my own numbers but will likely cut it down to 5-7 plays. I have looked in depth on a few matches. I'll start with the opening game...
Patriots vs Seahawks
Just a few questions that first come to mind since the Super Bowl match.
For NE: Have they upgraded their O-line? Have they beefed up their D-line? The regular season stats were better than they looked playing a weaker schedule but run defense and O-line protection were exposed in the Super Bowl. They added Alijah Vera Tucker at left guard, a slight upgrade and decent when healthy. They added Dre'mont Jones in place of Harold Landry on D-line but production-wise they're more or less the same. Do these two players move the needle? Not really.
They lost breakout safety Jaylinn Hawkins to B-more but brought in all pro Kevin Byard to take his spot who knows Vrabel's system well. The most impactful upgrade for the Pats is at receiver with all-pro AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs. This gives Pats some firepower to possibly keep this from being a repeat of the Super Bowl drubbing. Patriots on paper have improved a bit from last season which they must because their schedule isn't as fluffy now. You'd expect the O-line to perform just a tad better in this match but it's still a question mark going in.
For SEA: Its more about who they lost than who they gained. Seahawks roster had good depth last year so when you look at the entire roster most of the starters are still there minus Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen. The interesting dilemma for Seahawks is the RB depth they also won't have their backup RB Charbonnet, putting rookie Jadarian Price in the spotlight. Can the Seahawks still take advantage of the Pats run defense that worked so well for them in the Super Bowl? Doesn't help that they lost their offensive coordinator. Also the secondary got a bit weaker as well, can the Patriots revamped receiving corp do big damage against the Seahawks defense. It all depends on how Pats O-line holds up. That Seahawks D-line is still really good.
When you factor all of these together, you will have a game that could likely be much closer than the Super Bowl was. The line is currently Seahawks -3.5 and my line have them at Seahawks -4. Pretty tight. Leaned Seahawks but the line perception seem to favor the Patriots due to their splash moves at receiver and Seahawks losing Super Bowl MVP Walker. This will be an interesting game to watch for sure. The smart move may be Seahawks or avoid this prime time game altogether. I took the Patriots spread in the Super Bowl and I would be a fool if I took them again with the same result. I bought into Vrabel as a dog and he is usually decent with 2+weeks of preparation but that wasn't the case. Good luck on what you decide to choose 
Hot Forum Topics
