Seahawks expert reveals key insights ahead of Week 8 game vs. Bills

The Buffalo Bills are fresh off of a 34-10 win over the pathetic Tennessee Titans. While the Bills were expected to win this matchup, it wouldn’t have been as big without the presence of Amari Cooper, who reeled in his first touchdown as a Bills in the third quarter. It started the run the Bills went on after being down 10-7 at halftime. 

They will travel across the country for a 4PM ET showdown against the Seattle Seahawks, a team who is exceeding expectations under new head coach Mike Macdonald. The Seahawks are no pushover, but they also have some weaknesses heading into this game. It will be important for Buffalo to get the crowd out of the game and force Geno Smith to play from behind, potentially without his star wide receiver DK Metcalf.

We had the chance to catch up with Lee Vowell, Site Expert for 12th Man Rising. Vowell was able to provide insights on the Seahawks that could give the Bills advantage heading into Sunday.

Bills vs. Seahawks Week 8 insights

1.) One of the big news coming out of Seattle's victory over the Falcons was the knee injury that wideout DK Metcalf suffered. If he isn't ready to go in Week 8, how much will this affect the Seahawks' offensive strategy against the Bills defense?

That is truly unknown. While Metcalf had the stigma coming out of college that he would be oft-injured, he has missed just one game in his career. He appears to have taken the expectation as an insult. In other words, if there is any chance Metcalf will be on the field versus the Bills, then he will play.

All that said, Metcalf is the only Seahawks receiver who can consistently take the top off a defense. Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have great hands and quickness, but they are not the deep threats that Metcalf is. If Metcalf cannot play, Seattle could go with a shorter passing game, and that might make running the ball even harder. Seattle might choose to try to grind out first downs instead of making several splash plays. That might limit the overall offense.

2.) Who would you consider the Seahawks' X-factor on the defense that can play a major role in limiting Josh Allen?

I would love to answer by saying, "Anyone...please!" but that would not be fair. Seattle has struggled against opponents with good running backs overall, and the defense was a mess the only time they played a team with a mobile quarterback, Daniel Jones of the New York Giants. To answer the question directly, the answer should be Tyrel Dodson.

This is true for a couple of reasons. One is that Dodson might be extra motivated to go against his former team. The other reason is Dodson has been the Seakawks' best linebacker this season and is a good enough tackler to try to bring down Allen one-on-one. The truth is the Seahawks will likely struggle greatly to stop Allen from running the ball effectively, though.

3.) What is a major weakness that the Seahawks have that the Bills could attack?

For the Seahawks on defense, Seattle still has not consistently stopped the run. They were brilliant in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons, but in the first half, they gave up 110 yards rushing. The miracle was that the Seahawks were able to adjust after halftime. Buffalo should plan on running the ball a lot and using Allen as a big part of that. The Bills could hold the ball for 35 minutes (at least) if they execute well enough.

As far as the Seahawks offense, the right side of the offensive line is still a bit of a mess. The team is not sure who will start at right tackle in Week 8, but it could be fourth-string Michael Jerrell. Jerrell was surprisingly solid in his first NL game in Week 7, but he is still raw and inexperienced. The only reason Seattle's offense has been somewhat successful is Geno Smith's extreme ability to move around the pocket. If the Bills can keep him from moving around, Seattle might only score 10 points.

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