Pete Carroll and the boys will have their hands full tomorrow in the bayou, this much is sure. What isn't sure is how the Seattle Seahawks will handle New Orleans high-octane passing attack.
The simple answer would be for the Seahawks defense to play the pass. Upon further thought of that game plan, it sounds less smart than it first appears.
When you look deeper at what the strengths and weaknesses of both Saints and Seahawks are, it becomes clear that Seattle does have advantages in their clash with the defending champs. The odds are stacked against the (5-4) Seahawks but they have a shot at knocking off the (6-3) Saints on the road.
At first glance, Seattle already seems to be a lock for a loss against the talented Saints in New Orleans. The Saints rank fifth in the NFL with 276 passing yards per game, riding the arm of the unflappable, Drew Brees. Their passing defense is even better. The Saints secondary allows an NFL low, 166 yards passing per game.
Those are not the numbers Seahawks fans want to see, but there is a silver lining. The Seahawks don't really pass that well anyway, averaging 200 yards a game. Yes, Hasselbeck dominated the Cardinals last week, but lets not kid ourselves people, Seattle is not a threat down-field on a weekly basis.
Coach Carroll's game plan for New Orleans should be to control the clock and win the time of possession battle. Hence, Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett need the ball, often. The Saints' defense allows an average of 110 yards on the ground every week. This is their most glaring weakness. Seattle's runningbacks must abuse that fact.
Similarly, the Seahawks are allowing 104 rushing yards/game but that stat doesn't truly reflect how great Seattle has played against opposing runningbacks. That unit shut down many good runningbacks for the first five weeks. Lately, the Seahawks defensive line has been riddled with injuries. Defensive tackle, Colin Cole, is still out with an ankle injury. Cole's battery mate, Brandon Mebane, is active and will make his mark on the Saints rushing attack, as will the healthy linebacking core of Hawthorne, Tatupu and Curry.
The Saints rushing attack gets a boost this week with the return of the dynamic Reggie Bush. Coming off a broken fibula, Bush shouldn't be at his best which will give the Seahawks a chance at locking up half of the Saints' offense. With New Orleans offense you need to pick a side to defend. As scary as it sounds, Seattle has to force Brees to pass.
Keep the ball out of Brees' hands and the Hawks might get their third(?!) road victory this season.
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