The NFL 2016 preseason week one continues as the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks faceoff Saturday afternoon. The game takes place at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. EST. Preseason football provides fans with the action they have been missing dearly since last February but choosing the right pick during preseason NFL is often a crapshoot. The current betting line/spread for the Seahawks/Chiefs game has the Chiefs favored by a line of -3.5 and the over/under is at 35.5.
About the Seahawks
#Touchdown! The team has safely landed in Kansas City.????#BusinessTrip #SEAvsKC pic.twitter.com/qig5vgsKOc
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 13, 2016
Despite the retirement of NFL running back sensation Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks starting offense looks promising. All-pro Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson should play a couple of reps before backup quarterbacks Trevone Boykin (rookie year) and Jake Heaps (formerly of New York Jets) share the field. Boykin (Texas Christian University) and Heaps (University of Kansas, University of Miami, and Brigham Young) found great success in college and Saturday will be an opportunity to show their potential in the NFL.
Keep an eye on linebackers Kevin Pierre-Louis and Montese Overton as well; offensively the line has been a weakness for the Seahawks, but this duo could make a difference. The two will try to fill the void that left tackle Russell Okung left since moving to the Broncos.
The Seahawks finished last year with a record of 10-6 and they have found the NFL playoffs successfully the last four seasons and are looking to find it a fifth time this year. Thee defensive posture of the Seahawks is looking promising as usual, especially with cornerback superstar Richard Sherman who covers an entire side of the field for opposing quarterbacks, and defensive tackle Jarran Reed could be a difference maker.
About the Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs finished last year with a record of 11-5, starting the season 1-4 before winning ten straight games, and look to make back-to-back playoffs this year. The Chiefs have five quarterbacks this season and starting quarterback Alex Smith is projected to play the first quarter Saturday night. NFL quarterback Nick Foles (QB for the Rams last year) recently signed with the Chiefs and is slotted in the No. 2 position. He is scheduled to play the rest of the first half and Aaron Murray, Kevin Hogan, and Tyler Bray should share the position during the second half of the game. This is Murray and Bray’s third season in the NFL and Kevin Hogan’s (Stanford University) rookie year.
Running back megastar Jamaal Charles finished last season as the record holder for career yards-per-carry amid running backs with an average of 5.5. Charles suffered a torn ACL last October and is expected to play the first game during the regular NFL season. Look for running backs Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West to successfully hold things down Saturday night while Charles sits out of the NFL 2016 preseason.
The Chiefs are deep on the defensive side and rookie’s KeiVarae (cornerback from the University of Notre Dame) and Chris Jones (defensive end from Mississippi State University) could be playmakers from the get-go. A major reason behind the Chiefs’ success in 2015 is their defense and they are highly skilled at targeting the quarterbacks of the opposing team.
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Betting on preseason games for the NFL is always tricky and the 2016 preseason is no different; this should be a low scoring game and the over/under should probably be left alone, but a small lean on the under is the play here for those that can’t help themselves. The spread of -3.5 for the Chiefs started much smaller at the beginning of the week and some sportsbooks had it -1.5.
The line has been raised to -3.5 and this is usually a sign that the books are trying to balance the odds. Anything can happen in the NFL, especially in week 1 of the preseason, but taking the +3.5 points and backing the Seattle Seahawks makes sense.
[Photo by Jamie Squire/Staff]