Bet On NFL Wildcard Games – Saints Begin Title Defense

After nearly missing out on first place in the NFC South, and the first round bye and home field advantage that would have came with the division crown, the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints will take to the road for their NFC Wild Card Round clash with the Seattle Seahawks.

It shouldn’t matter much that this game is away from home since the Saints had a better road record than they did in New Orleans.

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Bet On NFL Wildcard Games: New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks

Saturday January 8, 2011 – 4:30 PM ET

Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington

Broadcast: NBC

Odds: Saints -10, Seahawks +10

Total: 44

They’ll take on a Seahawks’ team that became the first division winner to be crowned despite a sub-.500 record, as 7-9 Seattle clinched on the final day of the regular season by taking down the St. Louis Rams. The Seahawks are the biggest underdogs of the opening round, in what is easily the biggest mismatch.

Bet On NFL Wildcard Games: What The Saints Will Have To Do To Win

New Orleans will need to overcome a short week of rest and a lack of depth in their offensive backfield to overcome the Seahawks on the road the way they did in a 34-19 home win back in late November. The Saints will be without running backs Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, both of whom will miss the entire postseason with injuries to their foot and ankle respectively. That will leave it up to head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees to spread out the Seattle defense, as the opposition won’t have much of a chance of matching the Saints’ quality depth at the receiver position. Brees can have a field day if he can open things up, and pick apart the Seahawks at will.

Bet On NFL Wildcard Games: What The Seahawks Will Have To Do To Win

That will put the pressure on whoever gets the start for Seattle, something that may remain unknown right up to game time. Both Charlie Whitehurst and Matt Hasselbeck have taken snaps with the first team offense in practice this week, but head coach Pete Carroll has elected not to share his thoughts on who should get the go with the media. Hasselbeck has won his last four home playoff dates, and two of his best career passing games have come against New Orleans, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s the choice. The Seahawks have struggled to move the ball on the ground all year as one of the league’s worst rush offenses, but running back Marshawn Lynch did rush for 75 yards on 20 carries in the finale and will be relied on heavily. The Seattle defense needs to get to Brees.

Bet On NFL Wildcard Games: Outlook & Pick

The Saints are 0-3 on the road in the playoffs all-time, but none of those teams were as good as the current crop that New Orleans boasts. Seattle has too many holes on both sides of the ball for home field advantage to carry them in the most lopsided matchup of the opening round.

Bet On NFL Wildcard Games Pick: Saints -10

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