NFL Predictions Week 7: Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns

Seattle Seahawks at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, 10/23/11, 1:00 PM EST, TV: FOX
Opening Point Spread: Cleveland -3
Current Betting Line: Cleveland -3
Opening Total: 40
Current Total: 40.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks are both aiming to move their records to 3-3 Sunday

Seattle travels east off its bye week and will likely be starting Charlie Whitehurst behind center Sunday. The Seahawks are coming off a 36-25 win over the New York Giants as 10-point road underdogs, while scoring 64 points combined in the last two weeks, which is much better than the 30 points scored in the opening three weeks. “We got a really good performance from Charlie,” commented Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. “He did the things we needed to do to keep the game moving.” Seattle is 17-22 ATS over the last two-plus seasons, while the ‘over’ is 23-15 in those contests.

The Seahawks were happy with Whitehurst against the Giants, as he completed 11 of 19 passes for 149 yards, including 4-of-5 for 77 yards on the game-winning drive. It was a much better performance than his time on the field last year, when he played two games when then-quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was injured. The team will be looking to win two straight on the road for the first time since Dec. 2007.

Cleveland aims to even up its record and has failed to deliver to bettors when playing as a home favorite, posting a 0-2-1 ATS mark. The Browns are coming off a 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders as seven-point road underdogs off their bye week. Offensively, the effort was disappointing, gaining a season-low 268 yards. Many fans are wondering what’s happened to the running game, ranking 30th in the league in gaining just 81.6 yards per game. Cleveland is 16-20 ATS over the last two-plus seasons and the ‘over’ is 19-18 in those contests.

The Browns are looking to start quicker this week, getting outscored by a 34-3 margin in the first quarter, but winning the battle by 12 points in the second. “We’ve got to do a better job,” commented second-year quarterback Colt McCoy about the slow starts. “The second quarter, for whatever reason, we kind of come alive.” In the last two games, McCoy has combined to complete 61 of 106 attempts for 565 yards and three touchdowns against just a single interception. Running back Peyton Hillis is questionable for the game due to a left hamstring injury.