Seahawks still favored, but have lost some shine

By Jim Moore

Are you like me, trying to figure out how good the Seahawks are? Until injuries decimated their offensive line and also sidelined Percy Harvin, I thought they’d go 19-0.

Now I’m hoping for 18-1 but am at the more realistic point of accepting 13-3 or 12-4 in the regular season, whatever it takes to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

That’s the new best-case scenario, yet I’m all of a sudden worried about worst-case scenarios, nothing I even considered a week or two ago.

Cornerback Richard Sherman (25) and the rest of Seattle’s Legion of Boom secondary will be looking to bounce back against the Titans a week after they were burned in a loss by the Colts’ T.Y. Hilton. (AP)

The Seahawks are 4-1 but could be 5-0. They could just as easily be 2-3. What if they don’t cause that fumble by DeAngelo Williams inside their own 10-yard line at Carolina? What if they don’t get Richard Sherman’s pick six at Houston?

They could trail San Francisco and Arizona by one game instead of holding a one-game lead over the 49ers and Cardinals in the NFC West.
On Monday, what will we be saying about the Seahawks? They’re favored by 14 so they’ll undoubtedly beat the Titans.

Will a three-point win be good enough for you? Max Unger returns at center, but with both starting tackles out again, another mediocre performance by the offense would be understandable, wouldn’t it?

And the defense? The secondary hasn’t looked like the Legion of Boom the past two weeks. Yes, Sherman saved the day with his interception in Houston, but what about the first half when the Seahawks allowed nearly 300 passing yards to Matt Schaub, who’s been so bad of late he’s about to lose his job.

Maybe you can cut the Legion of Boom some slack for last week’s loss to Indianapolis because Andrew Luck is one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks.

But aren’t they the Legion of Boom, self-proclaimed best secondary in the league? How can the Legion of Boom get torched by T.Y. Hilton?

They’ll probably look terrific against the Titans and Ryan Fitzpatrick. But when you look good against a backup QB at Century Link Field, can you truly say the Legion of Boom is back?

Tougher tests are coming in night games the next two weeks at Arizona and St. Louis, where they lost last year.

You can make a great case for the Seahawks returning to NFL prominence in this one — they haven’t lost a home game since December of 2011; they’re facing a backup QB; they’re facing an inferior team even if Jake Locker were healthy and starting.

But don’t discount Tennessee’s chances. The Seahawks may be sixth in total defense, but the Titans are ninth. They allow only 17 yards and three points more per game than the Hawks.

They’re 3-2, and it’s not often that 3-2 teams are 14-point underdogs, especially when that 3-2 team could be 5-0 – they lost to Houston in overtime and led the Chiefs 17-13 in the third quarter last week.

I’m still high on the Seahawks, but I’m not Fantasy Island crazy about them anymore, not until they get Okung and Breno Giacomini back.

If you’re offering me a 3-2 team and 14 points, I’m taking them every time, even if it’s against a team as good as the Hawks.

Prediction: Seahawks 20, Titans 16.

Season record against the spread: 2-3.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website jimmoorethego2guy.com and kitsapsun.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.