SERIES HISTORY
This is the 13th regular-season meeting between the Seahawks and Saints. The series is tied 6-6, with Seattle winning the last time the teams met, prevailing 34-7 in 2013 when they played at CenturyLink Field. However, New Orleans won the last time the teams met at the Superdome, winning 34-19 in 2010. The teams also have met twice in the playoffs since Pete Carroll became Seattle’s coach, with the Seahawks winning 41-36 in 2011 in a memorable contest known best for Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake run, and Seattle winning 23-15 in 2014. Both those games were at CenturyLink.
KEY MATCHUP
Saints quarterback Drew Brees vs. the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom secondary
Brees is one of the NFL’s ageless wonders.
The Saints’ quarterback is 37 years old, is in his 16th season in the league, and is already established as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He ranks third all-time in career passing yards with 63,003, third all-time in career passing touchdowns with 445, and seventh all-time in career passer rating at 96.1. He’s been named to the Pro Bowl nine times, and in 11 seasons with the Saints he’s compiled a 96-68 record, including leading New Orleans to a Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season. He’s headed to the Hall of Fame.
And despite his age, Brees shows no signs of slowing down. Through six games, he’s 187-for-273 for 2,101 yards and 17 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He leads the NFL in both yards per game (350.0) and touchdown passes, ranks third in completion percentage (68.5) and fourth in passer rating (104.4). He’s on pace to throw for 5,600 yards, which would be an NFL single-season record.
But Brees has not faced a pass defense this season that’s anything like Seattle’s. Of the six teams New Orleans has played this season, none rank better than 19th in the NFL in passing defense. The Saints have faced both the Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons, which have the two worst pass defenses in the league.
Seattle, meanwhile, has one of the best pass defenses in the league. The Seahawks are allowing just 226.0 yards passing per game, which ranks ninth in the NFL. Seattle was either first or second in the NFL in passing defense each of the previous three years. The Seahawks still have the personnel in the secondary — cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas — that made the Legion of Boom the best secondary in the league, with DeShawn Shead proving to be a capable second cornerback. The Seahawks boost that with a pass rush led by Cliff Avril that is ranked third in the league in sack percentage. The result is Seattle is holding opposing quarterbacks to a 76.2 passer rating.
Brees gets rid of the ball as quickly as any quarterback in the league, and he can carve a defense up underneath if given the chance. Therefore, it’s crucial that Seattle’s defensive backs are aggressive in their coverage. In all likelihood Brees won’t be as comfortable throwing the ball against the Seahawks as he has been in other game so far this season. How he handles that will play a big role in the outcome.
KEY NUMBER
32.5 — The average number of points New Orleans allows per game, the most of any team in the NFL. The Saints finished last in the league in points allowed in 2015 (29.8).
IMPORTANT INJURIES
Seahawks — The Seahawks have a long list of players out this week, headlined by defensive end Michael Bennett (knee), who misses a game for the first time since arriving in Seattle in 2013, and strong safety Kam Chancellor (groin), who misses his third straight game. The Seahawks also will be without fill-in strong-side linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis (ankle). Starting left tackle Bradley Sowell (knee) has a chance of playing just a week after suffering a sprained MCL. Quarterback Russell Wilson (ankle/pectoral), who was limited in practice this week for the first time in his career, was not on the injury report and will play Sunday.
Saints — New Orleans has two defensive starters who have been ruled out as linebacker Stephone Anthony (hamstring) and cornerback Delvin Breaux (fibula) will each miss his second straight game. Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (quadriceps) is trying to make it back after sitting out last week. The Saints also have some issues on the offensive line as tackle Terron Armstead (knee) and guard Andrus Peat (groin) are both listed as questionable.
BREAK IT DOWN
The Seahawks will win if they …
Recover physically. Seattle’s defense spent an incredible 46 minutes, 21 seconds on the field in last Sunday’s 6-6 tie with the Arizona Cardinals, facing 95 snaps. Reports after the game described the Seahawks’ locker room as a MASH unit. Can Seattle bounce back from that physically taxing game and still be itself?
Receive competent play at left tackle. Starter Bradley Sowell suffered a sprained ligament in his knee last week and, despite a quick recovery, has a good chance of being out. The Seahawks’ best option to replace him seems to be George Fant, an undrafted rookie free agent who was a basketball player in college. If Fant is called upon, he needs to grow up in a hurry to give quarterback Russell Wilson protection the his blind side.
Kick start the running game. It’s been three straight substandard games running the ball for Seattle, with the Seahawks managing just 66, 72 and 52 yards on the ground against the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. New Orleans’ porous defense should provide an opportunity for Seattle to get its running game on track.
The Saints will win if they …
Get some stops. New Orleans hasn’t been able to stop anyone this season, with the exception of the New York Giants, who have scored just 19.0 points per game. But Seattle is averaging just 18.5 points per contest, so there’s a chance the Saints’ defense is facing a team that won’t run it out of the building, thereby giving its offense a shot to win the game.
Spoil Jimmy Graham’s homecoming. Seattle’s tight end was a star during his five seasons in New Orleans, and this season he’s begun having a similar impact for the Seahawks after having his ups and downs during his first season in Seattle. It will be up to Saints strong safety Kenny Vaccaro to keep Graham from shredding his former team.
Use every weapon. Quarterback Drew Brees is grooming a new group of receivers in Brandin Crooks, Michael Thomas and Willie Snead, all of whom are 24 years old or younger. All three have between 28 and 36 catches and between 383 and 486 yards. New Orleans needs all three of those guys to be factors.
PICK
Seahawks 27, Saints 20
There’s nothing like a game against the Saints for an ailing offense. Seattle may have been atrocious offensively last week against Arizona, but New Orleans’ league-worst scoring defense should provide a welcome respite, especially considering the Seahawks have shown this season that they can score against subpar defenses. And though the Saints are a capable offensive team, they have yet to see anything quite like Seattle’s defense.
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