Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers
Thursday, 8/11/11, 8:00 PM EDT, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: San Diego Chargers -4.5
Current Betting Line: San Diego Chargers -3
Opening Total: 37
Current Total: 34.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Seattle begins the second year of life under former USC head coach Pete Carroll, as the team aims to reach the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The Seahawks won the NFC West with a 7-9 overall and advanced into the 2010 playoffs, only to be eliminated by the Chicago Bears in the Divisional round by a 35-24 score. It was definitely a successful season due to beating New Orleans, 41-36, as a 9.5-point home underdog during the Wild Card round. Seattle posted a 6-3 ATS mark at Qwest Field, including covering both games as a home favorite. The ‘over’ was 11-4-1 in the squad’s 16 regular season games.
The Seahawks begin life without longtime quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has moved on to Tennessee, opening the door for former Minnesota backup and starter Tarvaris Jackson. Seattle is expected to play its starters for a quarter tonight, which will allow fans to see Jackson, wide receiver Sidney Rice and tight end Zach Miller on the field. Once the first 15 minutes has played its way out, signal-caller Charlie Whitehurst is expected to take over followed by third string quarterback Josh Portis.
San Diego was unable to make last year’s playoffs despite having one of the most talented teams in the league. The Chargers will be looking to gain revenge from a 27-20 road loss to the Seahawks in Week 3 of last year, as they allowed two special teams touchdowns and turned the ball over five times. Some new faces will be in the defensive huddle this year, led by veterans Bob Sanders and Takeo Spikes. With the loss of Brandon Siler and Kevin Burnett to free agency, Spikes will be leaned on to supply veteran leadership. Sanders was a surprising signing due to this injured past, but may end up being the best free agency signing in the league if he stays on the field.
The Chargers offense will not have many adjustments to make, losing only one starter, as running back Darren Sproles is gone. San Diego led the NFL in yardage and will be piloted by quarterback Philip Rivers once again. The former NC State star became the first signal-caller to throw for 4,000 yards and surpass a 100.0 quarterback rating for three consecutive seasons. He will be looking to surpass his career-best 4,710 yards that was set last season. Head coach Norv Turner has expressed that he’d like the running game to shoulder more of the load in 2011, as second-year back Ryan Mathews grows more comfortable with the offense.
Don’t even think about betting on this game until you find out what the NFL handicappers at Maddux Sports are doing, as season-long packages are currently available.
