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The Seattle Seahawks (3-1) are rested up after their early bye week, and they’ll be on the road again this week to take on the Cincinnati Bengals (2-3). Seattle has won three straight, whereas the Bengals avoided a 1-4 start by beating the Arizona Cardinals down in Glendale.
Joe Burrow has been dealing with a calf injury for months, and it really wasn’t until the Cardinals game that he unleashed something close to his best. Ja’Marr Chase had 15 catches for nearly 200 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns. Needless to say, Seattle’s secondary is considerably better with the likes of Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon at corner, and we should see Jamal Adams back in the lineup alongside Quandre Diggs. It should be a fascinating matchup between Seattle’s defense and one of the NFL’s most lethal QB/WR duos.
Meanwhile, Geno Smith has his full compliment of offensive weapons, but won’t have all of his offensive linemen back. Abe Lucas is still on the mend with a timetable TBD, whereas Damien Lewis is a question mark to play with his ankle sprain. We should see Charles Cross return to the lineup, so that’s a positive at the left tackle spot. The Seahawks offense has been really good except in the red zone and on 3rd downs, so if there was ever a time for those flaws to be fixed, it’s now.
What’s at stake?
The Seahawks can keep pace with the undefeated San Francisco 49ers should they win, and they will boast the 4th best record in the NFC regardless of how results elsewhere play out. Cincinnati hasn’t been at .500 all season so this is their chance to move up the AFC pecking order, but they can’t get top spot in the AFC North since the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers are on a bye.
Odds
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Seahawks as a 3-point underdog, with the over/under currently at 45.5 points.
Game Coverage
Seahawks vs. Bengals airs live on CBS at 10 AM PT on Sunday, October 15, with commentary from Ian Eagles, Charles Davis, and Evan Washburn. This is the stream to follow for all of your Seahawks-Bengals game coverage.