Seattle Seahawks open as huge favorites for divisional game with New Orleans Saints

The Seattle Seahawks stomped the New Orleans Saints 34-7 in their much-hyped Monday night match-up earlier this season. Perhaps that, combined with the famous homefield advantage created by the 12th man in Seattle, goes to explain the opening lines for next weekend’s divisional rematch.

Mike Wilkening of Pro Football Talk writes that the Seahawks are favored by more than a touchdown in the opening lines released by multiple outlets:

"The Seahawks are 8.5-point favorites at numerous Nevada sports books, according to multiple websites that monitor the posted lines in the state.The Seahawks defeated the Saints 34-7 in Seattle on December 2. Seattle was a six-point favorite in the first meeting.”"

Coming off a victory on the road in Philadelphia, Drew Brees and the Saints will presumably put up more of a fight than that. If enough people think so, the Saints will presumably get a lot of action and this line might move a bit (all for recreational purposes, of course).

This game represents the collision of two popular theories. Not long ago, you probably would have found a lot of analysts refusing to bet against a Hall of Fame quarterback like Brees. Yet Seattle’s track record at home combined with the result earlier this season probably means that most people will pick the Seahawks, even if it’s not by more than a touchdown.