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[Teach]

“Go West, young man,” Horace Greeley advised. The Patriots have taken the journalist’s advice to heart. They’re headed to where “the bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle.” Both the Patriots and the Seahawks are coming off of season-opener wins. In Seattle’s case, they defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 38-25 at Mercedes Benz (said with a twang like Janis Joplin). The Patriots defeated Miami, 21-11 at “The Razor.” The Patriots and Seahawks will kick-it-off in week-two at spectator-less CenturyLink Field (The Seahawks are 40-16 at “The Link” since 2013). Game time: Sunday evening, 8:20 p.m. E.D.T.

Before I begin with my analysis and subsequent prognostication, I must tell you that I’m looking to avenge this past Sunday’s wagering loss when I took the points and bet on the Dolphins. No “Alpo” this week. Instead, I’m gonna give the points and say, “Mangia, mangia.” It’s antipasto, chicken parmigiana with spaghetti, a bottle of Chianti, and for dessert, espresso with a cannoli. Buon Appetito!

When I first saw the Patriots vs. Seahawks spread (Seahawks: +4), I immediately found myself being transformed into one of those Pavlovian dogs. You know the ones that were conditioned to salivate (I prefer drool) when the bell sounded. Frankly, I would have thought the line woulda opened at a touchdown or more. I believe, if it stays like this, it’s a gift! It’s “Christmas in September” by Prince Mucho-Money. Can the Patriots do to the Seahawks what they did to the Dolphins? It’s like Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), “Clueless,” in that Discover card ad. “No way!” The Seahawks have too many weapons, not the least of which is this year’s possible MVP, Russell Wilson. As “Danny and The Juniors” once sang, he “can rock it, he can roll it, he can even start to stroll it…”

Frankly, I wasn’t that impressed with the Patriots. I felt it wasn’t so much that the Patriots played so well; it was that the Dolphins played so poorly. The “fish” continued their defenseless ways; they were swimming upstream all afternoon, good thing they weren’t playing the Bears. In that event, they woulda been eaten alive!

In fact, if the Patriots hadn’t blown so many scoring chances, i.e., N’Keal Harry fumbling through the end zone (it appears that a strong gust of wind would blow him over) and Nick Folk missing a makable field goal, the Patriots could have won by three TD’s. Give credit to Josh McDaniels, the Patriots Offensive Coordinator; he developed a game plan that perfectly suited quarterback Cam Newton’s skills (the “option” series.). The Dolphins were off balance the entire game. But how many times can the Patriots do to others what they did to the hapless Dolphins? The Patriots got lucky with the not-ready-for-primetime Dolphins. In all fairness, WR DeVante Parker (4 catches for 47 yards) was limited because of hamstring issues.

Alack and alas, the Seahawks ain’t the doormat Dolphins. And it’s not Ryan Fitzpatrick, its Russell Wilson. Last Sunday’s win Seahawks’ win over Atlanta was not as close as the final score might have indicated. The Seahawks dominated the 2nd half.

Wilson completed 31-35 passes for 322 yards and 4 TD’s. I watched the replay. Wilson was exceptional. In fact, on one throw he would have made the “submariner,” Dick Hyde (remember him?), proud.

Speaking of Hyde, there’s the Seahawks’ Carlos Hyde. He ran for 23 yds. on 7 carries (look for more from him), while Chris Carson ran 6 times for 21 yds; but it was Wilson who gained the most yards rushing; he carried 3 times for 29 yards.

In the passing department, D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Carson did the bulk of the receiving. TE Greg Olsen chipped in with four catches.

On some occasions, the Seahawks’ receivers were so wide open, you would have thought that the Atlanta secondary was “social distancing,” either that or sheltering-in-place.

The Seattle defense, led by Jamal Adams, the former New York Jet, played a solid game (one of those bend-but-don’t breaks). Then, there’s middle-linebacker Bobby Wagner. It should be noted that Seattle did give up 28 first downs. The Seahawks’ secondary gave up 400 yards passing, but a lot of that occurred during “garbage time.”

Personally, I’ll be flat-out shocked if the Seahawks don’t cover. I think Seattle will dare the Patriots to pass (At one time last week the Dolphins had all eleven men up at the line of scrimmage).

Moreover, the Seahawks use the “cover-3 zone” (a far cry from the Dolphins’ man-to-man coverage). One thing you can do against a zone is to take the safeties deep and attack the “soft underbelly” (sounds like WW II). Yet, a zone will probably defend Newton’s option possibilities better than Miami’s man-to-man.

As far as the Patriots’ passing, their receiving corps, with the exception of Julian Edelman (balky knee), is nuthin to write home about (I’m not “wild about Harry.”).

Finally, last week, Cam Newton passed for a very respectable 15 for 19 through the air for 155 yards as the Patriots, uncharacteristically, relied on the run. Newton also led the way in the rushing department with 75 yards and two TD’s on 15 carries. The next most productive Patriots rusher was Sony Michel with 37 yards on 10 carries.

In closing, I have to believe the Seahawks will be “keying” on Cam (how much wear and tear can he take?). The Seahawks may well put “a rover” on Newton. They’ll say, “Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Cam Newton On Over!”
My prediction: Seattle Seahawks 37; New England Patriots: 24.