2011 NFL Wildcard Playoffs: Saints vs. Seahawks Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Seattle, WA (The Spread) - Can the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks pull off the upset of the weekend and knock off the New Orleans Saints at 4:30PM ET on Saturday? Continue reading for picks, odds and more on this NFL Wildcard Playoff matchup.
View Current NFL Wildcard Odds
According to odds makers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, the Saints are 10-point favorites over the Seahawks on Saturday. The over/under total for this game is currently 44.5 points.
The Saints finished the regular season with an 11-5 record overall and 7-9 against the spread according to current NFL trends. They were 6-2 on the road this year but just 3-5 against the spread.
The Seahawks won the NFC West despite only winning seven of their 16 games this season. They were also 7-9 against the spread, but 5-3 against the number at home. They were also 5-3 straight up at Qwest Field.
NFL Wildcard Playoff Free Pick:
There’s no doubt that this is the biggest mismatch of the 2011 NFL playoffs. And there’s no doubt that the Saints have the tools on both side of the ball to light up an overmatched Seahawks team that only made the postseason because they played in the worst division in football. That said, if there’s one thing the NFL has taught us over the years is to expect the unexpected. There’s no reason for the Hawks to hang in this game, but it’s not like the Saints aren’t vulnerable either. First and foremost, with Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory out for the season, they won’t be able to control the clock by running the ball inside. Drew Brees has also thrown an interception in 12 straight games and has been picked off 22 times overall this year. A couple of turnovers in a playoff game can be the difference in the outcome. Another thing in the Seahawks’ favor is that Matt Hasselbeck is starting. Hassel beck (who didn’t play in Seattle’s crucial win over the Rams last week) threw for 366 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions when these two teams met in New Orleans in Week 11. He doesn’t have to duplicate those numbers for the Seahawks to keep this game close, but he does have to play mistake-free football. Do we think Seattle can pull off the upset outright? No, although on any given Sunday anything could happen. And considering Seattle is one of the toughest environments to play at in the NFL, we’ll gladly take the 10.5 points. Our pick is the Seahawks +10.5.
2011 NFL WILDCARD PLAYOFFS FREE PICK: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS +10.5