The Seattle Seahawks will be fighting to move into a tie for first place in the NFC West when they host the Houston Texans Monday night. The Seahawks will be depending on their versatile offense to wear down the Texans and put distance between themselves and their AFC South rivals.
Quarterback Sam Darnold is one of the sharpest signal callers in the NFL, and he will attempt to find any weaknesses in the Texans defense. Based on Darnold's track record, he will determine the best way to attack the visitors and exploit their problem areas.
After a brilliant season last year with the Minnesota Vikings, Darnold has found a new home in the Far Northwest with the Seahawks. He has led the team to a 4-2 record and he has shown remarkable accuracy with his passing. Darnold has completed 114 of 161 for 1,541 yards with 11 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He is averaging a league-back 9.6 yards per pass.
Despite Darnold's success, the Seahawks have struggled at home. In years past, Lumen Field was among the most difficult places in the league to play. However, the Seahawks are 1-2 at home this season and are just 3-6 in their last nine home games.
Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald says this has to change if the Seahawks are going to be a winning team this year.
“We have to win at home, We have to defend our home turf. We know that,” Macdonald said. “It’s really important that we play better at home. It’s been an important emphasis since I was hired. Hasn’t come to life yet. We’re determined to make it come to life.”
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There would be no better time for that to start then in Monday night's home game against the Texans. Here are some bold Seahawks predictions for the the game.
Darnold will thrown for 275-plus yards and 2 touchdowns
Darnold is looking to show off his talent and relentlessness to a national television audience. In his last two games before a national audience, Darnold struggled badly. The Vikings could have earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the NFC North title, but they fell badly to the Detroit lions in the season's final regular-season game.
A week after that loss, Darnold was also ineffective in the Vikings' Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The Seahawks offensive line is likely to give him much better protection than the Minnesota offensive line was able to provide.
Darnold excels at reading the defense and finding his secondary receivers if his primary receiver is covered. If he can get off to a decent start in the first quarter, Darnold is like to show off his skills as the game moves along.
No stopping Jaxon Smith-Njigba as he will have 100 receiving yards and a TD
The Seahawks are averaging 252.2 yards per game through the air and that means they have the 5th-ranked passing game in the league.
The team's primary receiving weapon is wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has come into his own in his third year in the league. Smith-Njigba is an outstanding route runner with sensational hands. When he catches the ball in stride he is capable of running away from the defense.
Smith-Njigba came into Week 7 having been targeted 56 times and he has 42 receptions for a league-high 696 yards with 3 TDs. He has 30 receptions that have resulted in first downs. He is also averaging a league best 116.0 receiving yards per game.
The Texans are not going to be able to stop Smith-Njigba. They have the fifth-best pass defense in the league, so they will be competitive, but Smith-Njigba will win the battle.
Kenneth Walker III will serve as the X-factor
The Houston defense will have to concentrate on keeping Darnold and Smith-Njigba in check. This should open things up for speedy running back Kenneth Walker III.
Walker has been solid so far this season. He has 78 carries for 364 yards with 3 touchdowns. He is averaging an impressive 4.7 yards per carry. Walker and Zach Charbonnet form a solid partnership in the Seahawk backfield. Charbonnet is more of the short-yardage and power back, while Walker can hit the home run.
The belief here is that the Seattle running game will surprise the Texans and come through with a productive running game that swings the Monday night game in the home team's favor.
