NFL Week 6 TV Games: Back Seattle to shoot down the Cowboys

Neil Harvey
12 October 2014

Neil fancies the Seahawks to overcome the handicap tonight

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There are three excellent football games live on TV in the NFL this evening and our man Neil Harvey briefly previews them all with the Seattle Seahawks his main fancy to get the better of the Dallas Cowboys...

"Seattle have the best ranked rush defense in the league and can make Dallas struggle, whereas the Cowboys play like their name on defense, ranking poorly against both the pass and the run."

Back Seattle (-8) to win at 2.0621/20

Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 18:00
Live On Sky Sports 2

With Calvin Johnson crocked with a bum ankle, this Lions team looks more like a pussy cat. Megatron puts the roar into his side and without him they look mediocre. That said, the Vikings are no great shakes in the absence of their talisman, Adrian Peterson. And with their big guns missing, neither side has found a reliable points scorer to replace them.

Detroit are just 10th in the league for passing yards, which was achieved with Megatron available, and a woeful 28th in the running game. Unable to choose between Joique Bell and Reggie Bush as their number one rusher, the Lions' committee approach has fallen flat on its face, with the gruesome twosome averaging less than four yards per carry each and boasting just two touchdowns between them.

That leaves quarterback Matthew Stafford with the option of Golden Tate to aim for. And as his standout receiver on the field, I think he'll target Tate heavily. Expect a big game from the Golden boy.

On the other side Minnesota expect to have the suavely named Teddy Bridgewater back at quarterback. Teddy has a touch of the Cam Newton's about him in that he likes to launch long downfield passes, in between making darting runs. As a rookie he'll be prone to mistakes, and but he does have an exciting young receiver in Cordarrelle Patterson to aim for.

Most likely though, he'll hand-off a lot of the ball to running back tandem Matt Asiata and Jerick Mckinnon, with the Vikings' running game ranked 10th in the league.

Minnesota's young bucks look to just have the edge over the ageing Lions. But with so much talent missing, I'm not expect a big game for those operating the scoreboard.

Recommended Bets
Back Minnesota to win @ 1.9520/21
Back Total Points to be Under 43.5 @ 1.9520/21

Dallas Cowboys @ Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 21:25
Live On Sky Sports 2

Having already said that I think the Cowboys are massively overhyped, you won't be surprised to hear that I think they'll struggle here. The Seahawks are one of the toughest home teams in the NFL, if not the toughest, and the Cowboys don't look to have the steel needed to challenge them.

DeMarco Murray is the most in-form running back in the league right now with five TDs and has been rushing hundred yard games for fun. So he is the man likely to do the most damage to the Seahawks. When Dallas get near to the endzone, I'm expecting them to entrust the ball to their best player.

Dallas receivers Des Bryant and Terrance Williams have nine touchdowns between them. But when you look at who they came against, it reads like a who's who of fragile pass defenses, with New Orleans having given up a big share of those scores. Note that the 4-1 Cowboys' only loss, came against the only decent defense they've played, in the form of the 49ers.

Well the 3-1 Seahawks are superior to any of the teams Dallas have faced yet and the Cowboys could be about to get a dose of shock treatment from the reigning Superbowl champs. Having already beaten Denver and Green Bay, losing only to a very good San Diego side, Seattle are battle hardened and ready to go.

If Denver couldn't win at CenturyLink Field then I don't see any way the Cowboys can. Seattle have the best ranked rush defense in the league and can make Dallas struggle, whereas the Cowboys play like their name on defense, ranking poorly against both the pass and the run.

Recommended Bets
Back Seattle (-8) to win at 2.0621/20
Back Seattle (-4.5) to win at half time @ 1.9110/11 or better

New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
Monday, 01:30
Live On Channel 4

Here are a couple of teams who've gotten into the habit of slugging it out in high-scoring encounters. Both the Giants and Eagles seem incapable of mustering much on defense and instead seem content to focus on outscoring their opponents.

It's hard to get any kind of form line though. Philly scraped past witless Washington, yet won away to incredible Indy, which is some achievement. The Giants, by comparison, were dumped on in Detroit, yet managed to score an almost 30 point win over the Redskins in their own backyard.

And yet somehow neither side ranks especially well on offense. Imagine two people in those giant inflatable sumo outfits, desperately trying to wrestle each other to the ground. That's how I envisage this game - no style, but lots of effort.

Neither team is dependable, but perhaps the 4-1 Eagles are slightly overrated, while the 3-2 Giants are maybe not getting enough respect. So considering that, plus the utter unpredictability of these two sides, the value has to lie with taking New York with a field-goal headstart.

Philly quarterback Nick Foles has yet to discover his best form and I can see him throwing up some pies for the hungry Giants defense to feast on. So I'll recommend the price on a straight New York win as well, with the field goals offering us some leeway.

Recommended Bets
Back New York Giants (+3) to beat Philadelphia @ 1.834/5
Back New York to beat Philadelphia @ 2.3211/8