Betting Picks

Chiefs vs Seahawks Odds: SNF NFL Week 16 Betting Preview and Pick

It’s possible that the Sunday night game in Week 16 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks could be a preview of Super Bowl LIII which takes place on the first Sunday of February in Atlanta. So, lets get straight to the Chiefs vs Seahawks odds.

Kansas City is in the postseason and looking to clinch the AFC West title and top seed in the conference. It is tied atop the division and conference with the Los Angeles Chargers. However, Kansas City holds the tiebreaker and will be a heavy home favorite in Week 17 against Oakland. Seattle can’t win its division as the Rams already have clinched the NFC West. The Seahawks would clinch an NFC wild-card spot with a victory.

Even though these teams are in opposite conferences, they have met 51 times because Seattle used to be an AFC West team. In 2002, the Seahawks shifted to the NFC West. Kansas City has won the past three meetings, most recently in 2014.

The Chiefs vs Seahawks odds have Kansas City as a 2.5-point favorite, but Seattle is our against the spread pick. The total is 53.5 on the NFL gambling lines.

Why Seattle will cover the Chiefs vs Seahawks odds

On a purely “need” basis, Seattle has more motivation here – not to mention arguably the best home-field advantage in the NFL with those crazy-loud fans, especially at night. The Seahawks run the ball more than any team in the NFL (well, of late Baltimore has gone run crazy) and lead the league in rushing yards.

In Sunday’s 26-23 overtime upset loss in San Francisco, Seattle rushed for 168 yards on 35 carries. It lost in part due to sloppy mistakes (14 penalties for 148 yards) on a short week.

Pete Carroll might try to run even more in this case because Kansas City is not strong against the run. Plus, running the ball helps eat clock and keep that high-powered Chiefs offense on the sideline. The weather looks Seahawks friendly on Sunday as the forecast is for showers and temperatures around 40 at night.

Kansas City betting notes for Sunday

The Chiefs could have clinched the division and essentially locked up the AFC’s top seed last Thursday night. Instead, they suffered one of the most unlikely loses in franchise history, three times blowing 14-point leads and losing 29-28 at home to the Chargers. They tied it with four seconds left and went for two points and converted as the Kansas City defense blew coverage and left a receiver wide open.

Patrick Mahomes threw two TD passes and fill-in running back Damien Williams rushed for two; Spencer Ware was out injured (not clear as of yet if Ware will return this week). We saw the one major flaw Kansas City had in that loss: Defense, especially in the secondary. And that secondary has lost top cornerback Kendall Fuller to wrist surgery, although there’s some talk he could somehow suit up here.

Former Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry played against the Chargers, his first action since Week 1 of 2017 due to injury. Berry didn’t play the second half, although he said that was pre-planned and that he wasn’t hurt. End Chris Jones tied an NFL record with his 10th consecutive game with a sack in the loss.

Seattle vs. Kansas City line movement

The Chiefs vs Seahawks odds saw some books open Seattle at +2 on the NFL gambling odds, and the total has dropped from 54 points.

Seattle vs. Kansas City matchup trends

• The Seahawks have covered 24 of their past 34 night games.
• Kansas City has failed to cover its past five games.
• Seattle is 4-0-1 ATS in its past five games following an ATS loss.