***MNF IN THE SWAMP - BUFF @ SEA***
***BUFFALO BILLS @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS***
Two teams that are quite the mirror image of each other take center stage tonight on Monday Night Football when the Buffalo Bills ride into Seattle to take on the Seahawks and the dreaded 12th man. These teams are built very similar to one another and with some key injuries in the mix, I think this one could make for a entertaining and close contest throughout. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Bills made change at Offensive Coordinator and it worked as they rattled off 4 straight wins afterwards until losing their last two against division rivals in the Dolphins and Patriots. That being said, Buffalo knows winning the Division is pretty much out of reach while looking up at New England, the best team in football. The reality of this also means that regarding their playoff hopes, they are now aiming for a Wild Card spot, meaning the room for error/losses is slim to none. Meanwhile the Seattle Seahawks are at the top of their division but their record is a bit deceiving because of the struggles they have had this year and they have only gotten worse. With poor play from their offensive line, Russell Wilson has been banged up significantly with injuries to his knees and ankles and it has effected his play with limiting his mobility and doing what he does best. Wilson has come out and said that he feels as good as he did in week 1 at the moment but that remains to be seen. The fact of the matter is, when up against a stout defense, these guys have really struggled to score and get much going, and the problems all start up front. The Seattle offensive line is a makeshift unit that has been unable to protect Wilson and his lack of mobility changes his style of game completely. He can't ad-lib and play that backyard style of football that has made him so successful in this league. Tonight he will be facing a good defensive front that will be extra juiced and motivated to get a big MNF upset on the road, and I think Wilson will continue to struggle and be running for his life.
The Bills defense can be sneaky good. For instance, they have one of the NFL's unlikely sack leaders in LB Lorenzo Alexander, the man is 33 and was a Special Teams player for most of his career. They have one of the bet CB duos in the NFL on the low in Darby and Gilmore. With Rex pulling out all the stops tonight for a chance to showboat with a big upset on National Television, I like him to find ways to get these guys up for the challenge. They even went as far as bringing back former Bill and Seahawk WR Percy Harvin to help them in the passing game. It is no secret that Harvin had a lot of bad blood with many of the Seahawks on this team and I have no doubt that when he got the call and knew the Seahawks were on deck, he jumped at the chance to terrorize them on MNF. Love him or hate him, you got to admire Rex and his ways, the guy is willing to do whatever it takes to get an edge. Bills QB Tyrod Taylor has been playing fairly well even though the WR position has been an absolute nightmare for this Bills team this season, hence the Harvin signing. Taylor is familiar with Percy and I think could help provide a spark for this offense. Also, RB LeSean McCoy sat out last week with a hamstring injury but is a full go tonight. Since the change in OC, McCoy has ripped through defenses and dominated this year. I think he shows up and brings his A game tonight. The Seattle defense will be without DE Michael Bennett and are still without Safety Kam Chancellor, two Captains of this defense. Their replacements have played well in their absence so this defense is still strong, what worries me is their offense. To only put up 20 points against New Orleans last weekend is a red flag for me. Seattle also has a HUGE SNF game on deck in New England next week against the mighty Pats for some Super Bowl revenge, which could make tonight a possible lookahead spot. I fully expect a hard fought defensive battle in this one and a FG win either way. The fact Wilson is 5-0 on Monday Night and the Bills haven't won on MNF since like 1999 makes me start smelling upset here, you know Swampy loves to go against the grain baby! BILLS+6
