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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 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.
The Seahawks are averaging 252.2 yards per game through the air and that means they have the 5th-ranked...
