It looked like Geno Smith was going to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a runaway NFC West title a few weeks ago. The Rams and Cardinals were in disarray, and the San Francisco 49ers looked jittery under Jimmy Garoppolo. However, the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey and figured things out, and the Seattle defense started to implode. The Seahawks followed up a four-game winning streak by losing four of their last five. None of those losses have come by more than eight points, but giving up 30 points to a Carolina team starting Sam Darnold at quarterback should have been a sign that the defense was in trouble. Next up is a trip to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, who have only lost three games by a combined 10 points this season. However, in the last two weeks, they gave give up 52 points combined to Denver and Houston, two teams not known for their ability to move the ball much, let alone score. Can the Seahawks pull off the road upset? Check out our NFL betting thoughts on the matchup.
NFL Preview: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs
When: Saturday, December 24, 2022, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
TV: FOX
Radio: KIRO 710 AM Seattle / WDAF 106.5 FM Kansas City
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Kansas City -10 / O/U 49.5 // Seattle +360 / Kansas City -480
Why should you bet on the Seahawks?
Seattle did get 238 passing yards and a touchdown out of Geno Smith last week, but Smith was constantly running for his life. The Seahawks were able to take advantage of the fact that San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy was limited with an oblique injury. The Seahawks were actually within a score when Smith threw his touchdown pas to Noah Fant with 3:35 left, but then they could not get a stop, as Purdy converted on a third-and-1 with a short scramble, and Jordan Mason got the last first down of the game with 1:02 left on the clock and the Seahawks out of time outs.
The Seahawks have a hard time running the ball consistently, as Kenneth Walker III ran the ball 12 times for 47 yards – but he had one 15-yard carry, which means the others were just an average of short games. Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf each had seven catches on the day, totaling 123 receiving yards, but the Seahawks just couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone enough to keep up with the 49ers. The Chiefs have a more forgiving defense than the 49ers, but Kansas City can also score at a video-game pace.
Why should you put your money on the Chiefs?
The Chiefs enter this game on the momentum of having won their seventh consecutive AFC West crown last week. In the game, Patrick Mahomes accounted for three touchdowns, and Jerick McKinnon rumbled for a 26-yard touchdown in overtime. The Chiefs had the first possession in overtime but had to punt. Their defense snatched a fumble from Davis Mills on Houston’s first offensive play in the extra frame, and McKinnon scored on the very next play. The Chiefs had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Harrison Butker pushed a 51-yard field goal attempt wide right.
The Chiefs did show some cracks in the win, though. They turned the ball over twice, and then picked up a season-worst 102 yards in penalties. They also yielded two touchdown passes to Davis Mills (although he only threw for 121 yards). Kansas City was behind for most of the game and found themselves down five early in the fourth quarter. Mahomes ran for a five-yard touchdown and found McKinnon for the two-point conversion, but a Houston field goal tied the game, eventually sending things to overtime. If you like the Chiefs, you see them fixing their issues on defense and dominating action against the Seahawks much earlier in the game.
Final Score and Prediction
The spread seems high for me, because I don’t think the Chiefs have the defense to get 10 points of separation from the Seahawks and maintain that over the course of the game. Sports bettors are continuing to sleep on Geno Smith a bit, which provides opportunities to take advantage. I predict a final score of Kansas City 34, Seattle 27.
NFL Betting Odds
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