The Seahawks had the worst straight up mark of any playoff team last season at 3-5. They are playing the game at 10 AM Seattle time, so it is a tough spot for the Hawks. Russell Wilson is where Cam Newton was last season: facing the burden of much higher expectations. Look for both to regress to the mean, which means Newton will continue the progress he showed last year after getting some humble pie.

Seattle will not be at full-strength. Defensive end-turned-linebacker Bruce Irvin is suspended for the first four games after violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances, and defensive end Chris Clemons is expected to miss the game as he continues to recover from knee surgery. Key offseason acquisition Percy Harvin is out.

Seattle is overrated on DL.