Patriots Listed as 3.5-Point Underdogs vs Seahawks in Week 2 Opening Spreads

• Cam Newton vs Russell Wilson will be the marquee QB matchup when the New England Patriots play the Seattle Seahawks Sunday (8:20 pm ET)
• The Patriots won and their former quarterback Tom Brady didn’t in Week 1
• See the game odds, spread and total as well as preview below

Cam Newton’s impressive debut with the New England Patriots wasn’t enough to transform everyone into instant believers. Just check the opening line in the Patriots vs Seahawks odds for their matchup in Week 2. The Patriots are 3.5-point underdogs.

With Newton squaring off against fellow running quarterback Russell Wilson, this will be one of the marquee games of Week 2.

New England Patriots vs Seattle Seahawks Odds

Odds taken Sept. 13

Newton set a new Patriots record for rushing yards by a quarterback by amassing 75 yards against the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots believe they have a quality replacement for Tom Brady.

One thing to note is the Patriots aren’t looking for Newton to run 15 times like he did in Week 1. When Newton is at his best, his running merely sets up his passing game.

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1305228643099127811

Seattle Boasts Its Own Marquee Quarterback

While New England fans were celebrating the fact they finally have a running quarterback, Wilson had both his arm and wheels on display in a 38-25 win against the Atlanta Falcons. He completed 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns. He ran three times for 29 yards.

Newton will run more than Wilson, but Wilson is an effective runner because he has a knack of knowing when to take off.  That helps his passing game. Defensive units have to respect his running.  Defenses can’t drop everyone into pass coverage because someone has to guard against the run.

Wilson’s talents are rare. Now with 30,056 passing yards and 4,022 rushing yards during his nine-year NFL career, he joins Steve Young as the only QBs in NFL history with at least 30,000 career passing yards and 4,000 career rushing yards.

The highest-paid QB in the NFL on average money per new year:
1. Patrick Mahomes: $45M
2. Deshaun Watson: $39M
3. Russell Wilson: $35M
4. Ben Roethlisberger: $34M
T-5. Aaron Rodgers: $33.5M
T-5. Jared Goff: $33.5M

Due to be paid soon QBs include: Lamar Jackson & Dak Prescott.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 5, 2020

Patriots Defense Could Be Better Than Offense Again

Based on a variety of statistics, New England had the NFL’s best defense last season. Even though the Patriots lost a handful of key performers, the Patriots’ defense could be beastly again this season.

It’s too early to know exactly how this younger Patriots’ defense will hold up, but it created three turnovers and held Miami to 11 points in Week 1. At the very least, the group looks promising.

The Patriots’ front seven is revamped, but Coach Bill Belichick has a long history of making sure his defense is competitive every year.

Based on what we saw in Week 1, the Patriots are still going to be able to win with defense.

Pretty clear how the Patriots plan to win games in 2020:

-Run the ball with some play action
-Control the clock
-Lock people down on defense

Rinse and repeat.

— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) September 13, 2020

Seahawks Benefit From Familiarity

While the Patriots are trying to get comfortable with a new quarterback, Wilson is surrounded by talented players he knows well.

Tyler Lockett led the Seahawks with 82 catches last season, and he caught eight Wilson tosses in Week 1. Chris Carson has been the workhorse running back for the past two seasons, and he caught two TD passes in Week 1. DK Metcalf caught a TD pass in Week 1. It’s not unthinkable Metcalf could end up with as many catches as Lockett.

The Seahawks have strong chemistry.

DK Metcalf taking rookie corner AJ Terrell to school on this “sluggo” pic.twitter.com/nhTe8Z2Ou1

— Carter Donnick (@CDonnick1) September 13, 2020

Seattle Had Trouble Winning at Home Last Season

The Seahawks weren’t an exceptional home team last season, going 4-4. But there are multiple reasons, led by Wilson’s ability, to believe they could duplicate last season’s 11-5 record. They may even clean up their defensive play, which gave up 398 points. By contrast, the Patriots gave up 225.

But this is Week 2 and Newton might not be as comfortable with his new offense and he looked in Week 1.  Plus, the New England defense is still building chemistry. There may be some slight movement in the days leading up to Sunday, but the Seahawks are being treated as an elite Super Bowl contender, and the line will continue to reflect that, likely not dipping lower than three points.