The coaching staff is to be commended for the Seahawks this year. The Seahawks’ defense turned a corner that’s almost never before seen in the NFL, moving from being historically bad to one of the best units in the league. While the offense came to another screeching halt midseason, the Seahawks were winning ballgames. Russell Wilson orchestrated the offense as needed, but calls to “let Russ cook” once again rose late in the season.
The revamped defense wasn’t enough to get the Seahawks past division-rival Los Angeles in the Wild Card round and their 2020 season was ended. Two major defensive pieces are set to become free agents this offseason– K.J. Wright and Bruce Irvin– both of which are aging commodities in the league. While the rest of the team should remain intact, it seems like they’re a strong defensive secondary away from returning to perennial contention.
The moves Seattle makes this offseason will be interesting to follow.
Seattle Seahawks odds
Seahawks futures odds
Seahawks Super Bowl odds
The Seattle Seahawks were eliminated in the Wild Card round of the NFC Playoffs by the Los Angeles Rams.
NFC West odds
The Seattle Seahawks clinched the NFC West with their Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Seattle Seahawks 2020 schedule and betting odds
| Week | Date (Time) | Opponent | Opening Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday, Sep. 13 (1 p.m. ET) | at Atlanta | Seahawks -1 |
| 2 | Sunday, Sep. 20 (8:20 p.m. ET) | vs. New England | Seahawks -3.5 |
| 3 | Sunday, Sep. 27 (4:25 p.m. ET) | vs. Dallas | TBD |
| 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 (1 p.m. ET) | at Miami | TBD |
| 5 | Sunday, Oct. 11 (8:20 p.m. ET) | vs. Minnesota | TBD |
| 6 | BYE | ||
| 7 | Sunday, Oct. 25 (4:05 p.m. ET) | at Arizona | TBD |
| 8 | Sunday, Nov. 1 (4:25 p.m. ET) | vs. San Francisco | TBD |
| 9 | Sunday, Nov. 8 (1 p.m. ET) | at Buffalo | TBD |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 15 (4:25 p.m. ET) | at LA Rams | TBD |
| 11 | Thursday, Nov. 19 (8:20 p.m. ET) | vs. Arizona | TBD |
| 12 | Monday, Nov. 30 (8:15 p.m. ET) | at Philadelphia | Eagles -2.5 |
| 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. NY Giants | Seahawks -7.5 |
| 14 | Sunday, Dec. 13 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. NY Jets | Seahawks -7.5 |
| 15 | Sunday, Dec. 20 (1 p.m. ET) | at Washington | TBD |
| 16 | Sunday, Dec. 27 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. LA Rams | TBD |
| 17 | Sunday, Jan. 3 (4:25 p.m. ET) | at San Francisco | TBD |
How to bet on the Seahawks
Futures
Seattle’s odds to win the Super Bowl opened at +2000 and drifted down to +2200 at DraftKings Sportsbook during the offseason. They’re still ahead of the Rams and Cardinals but behind the 49ers with to win the NFC West.
These bets are called futures and can be placed prior to the season at these odds, with odds likely to shift throughout the NFL season. A preseason $10 bet on the Seahawks to win their division would profit $22.50 at DK at +225 odds, and a $20 bet on Seattle to win the Super Bowl would profit a healthy $440 if successful.
Moneyline
There are multiple ways to bet on individual Seahawks games throughout the season. The simplest way to bet an NFL game is to take the moneyline, which simply picks the winner with varying odds depending on who is favored. Seattle was favored in 11 of 16 regular season games last year and won plenty of close games. Taking the moneyline (-122 odds) in the Seahawks 30-29 win over the Rams paid out $18.20 last October, but a bet on Seattle to cover a 1.5-point spread would’ve failed.
Point spread
Point spreads are a way to equalize the betting field by setting a number that the winning team must cover in order for bets on that winning team to cash. Odds are usually set around -110 for either side of the spread, meaning that the sportsbook takes a 10% “vig” for organizing the action, but bettors are getting close to even money otherwise. When the Seahawks fell, 28-23, to the Packers in the Divisional Round last playoffs, the Packers barely covered the assigned 4.5-point spread. Bets on Green Bay to cover cashed, thanks to a failed 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
Total (over/under)
Every game is also assigned a point total, referring to the combined score between the two teams. Most Seahawks games have totals between 44 and 52 points, with 9 of their 17 games going Over those totals. The Seahawks playoff game against the Packers cleared the point total of 46 with ease, but their 17-9 Wild Card win over the Eagles came up well short of a 44-point Over/Under line.
Prop bets
There is a market for taking proposition bets on individual Seattle players. Most prop bets are on QBs and Russell Wilson has a line for passing yards (4,000.5) and passing TDs (30.5) with -110 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. If Seattle’s QB tosses 31 TD passes this year, a $20 bet on him to go Over that TD total would cash $38.50 at those odds.
Parlays and teasers
During the NFL season, you can combine bets into a parlay or teaser. A parlay combines multiple bets on the moneyline, spread, or point total from the same game or multiple games, with few limits on how many bets can be combined. But while the odds improve the more bets are combined, all the bets have to be successful for a parlay to cash. A teaser also requires multiple bets to cash, but allows for all the point spreads and totals to move in a favorable direction so that they are more likely to cash. The odds adjust for that movement.
Seahawks 2019 recap
Record: 10-6
ATS: 7-8-1
The Seahawks started the season 10-2 with a few impressive wins including a 27-24 OT thriller at San Francisco. Then they hit a lull due in part to some injuries with four losses over their last six games including a head-scratching whoopings at the hands of the Rams and Cardinals. Seattle’s inability to protect Russell Wilson was a theme throughout the year, although the MVP candidate frequently covered up those deficiencies with his playmaking ability.
Seattle’s defensive was uncharacteristically poor last year. The Seahawks ranked 26th in DVOA rush defense with the third-most rushing TDs allowed (1.3) per game and the sixth-most yards allowed (5.9) per play. Clowney helped shore up some of those issues, but Seattle is a long way from the Super Bowl contender that leaned on its intimidating defense.
Thanks in part to Wilson’s heroics, the Seahawks went 6-3-1 against the spread (ATS) on the road last year. However, they were 4-6-1 ATS as favorites and 2-4 against NFC West opponents. The Seahawks routinely played up against elite competition and were a locked-in ticket when they were heavy underdogs at San Francisco during a November meeting.
When the Seahawks played out of division, they were 7-5 in terms of going over the projected point total. NFC West games were 2-3-1 in terms of going under the point total. Their games had an 8-4-1 record going Over following a win.
Seahawks 2020 offseason moves
Key trade: Jamal Adams, S (from Jets)
Key re-signings: Jacob Hollister, TE (second-round tender); Mike Iupati, OG; Jarran Reed, DT (two years, $23M)
Key free agent losses: George Fant, OT (to Jets); Quinton Jefferson, DE (to Bills); Al Woods, DT (to Jaguars)
Key free agent signings: Greg Olsen, TE (from Panthers); Bruce Irvin, LB (from Panthers); Brandon Shell, OT (from Jets), B.J. Finney, OG (from Steelers); Phillip Dorsett, WR (from Patriots);
Key draft picks: Jordyn Brooks, LB (1st round); Darrell Taylor, DE (2nd round); Damien Lewis, OG (3rd round); Alton Robinson, DE (5th round)
Seattle’s big move this off-season came late, with the trade for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams in July. The Seahawks gave up two first round draft picks and safety Bradley McDougald to shore up its secondary with an elite talent like Adams.
The Seahawks saved about $12M in cap space earlier in the off-season by releasing C Justin Britt and RG D.J. Fluker and are now going to be breaking in an offensive line made of almost entirely new parts. They’ll likely look for Damien Lewis to replace Fluker at RG and for Taylor and/or Robinson to fill the void once Jadeveon Clowney likely signs with another team. Adding Olsen gives Wilson a reliable target over the middle and big WR D.K. Metcalf could take off in his second year, but Seattle’s odds are trending downwards with a vulnerable defense in a brutal division.