2018 Seattle Seahawks Road Schedule Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions

The "Legion of Boom" Seattle Seahawks as we knew them are gone, and this franchise will be a lot like the Chicago Bears of the mid-1980s wondering how it won just a single Super Bowl at the height of its dominance.

The 1985 Bears were one of the greatest teams ever but didn't win another Super Bowl. Seattle had about a four-year stretch where it was the most dominant defensive team in the NFL. The Seahawks should have two titles, but we all remember what happened in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIX in perhaps the worst individual play-call in NFL history.

I personally don't think the Seahawks ever recovered completely from that loss to New England. Sure, the team won 10 games in both 2015 & '16 and reached the playoffs but were dominated in Divisional Round losses. Last year, the Hawks clearly fell behind the rising Rams in the NFC West. Still, Seattle had a playoff shot after winning in Dallas in a wild-card elimination game in Week 16. However, the Seahawks needed a few results to go in their favor in Week 17 and they didn't, with Seattle then losing anyway to Arizona to finish 9-7.

It was the first time the franchise missed the playoffs since the 2011 season and first time Seattle failed to win 10 games since Russell Wilson's arrival in 2012. Really, Wilson getting his huge contract extension a couple of years ago helped speed this downfall. That's why it's so important to make an all-in push for a Super Bowl if you still have a quarterback on his rookie deal - like the Rams or Cowboys do.

Maybe Seattle can compete for a wild-card spot because Wilson is a Top 5 quarterback if not player in the league, but the defense will be a shell of its former self after breaking up the "Legion of Boom." Richard Sherman is now in San Francisco and Kam Chancellor has retired due to injury. You keep hearing trade rumors surrounding Earl Thomas, who says he won't report to the team regardless until he gets a new contract.

Seattle was 5-3 on the road last season (better record than at home, which is unheard of in the Pete Carroll era), 4-3-1 against the spread and 2-6 "over/under." The Seahawks travel to a pair of 2017 playoff teams this year: the Rams and Carolina. The home schedule looks way, way tougher. I project a 3-5 road mark. Odds listed for the home team.

Sept. 9 at Broncos (-2, 42): Case Keenum (barring injury) makes his Denver debut under center. It's Seattle's first regular-season game in Denver since a 2010 loss at Mile High Stadium, but the teams have played twice then, the notable matchup being the Seahawks' destruction of Peyton Manning's Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. Key trend: Seahawks 3-7 ATS in past 10 at AFC West foes.

Sept. 17 at Bears (pick'em): Monday night. Never a great thing to open with back-to-back road games, but both these clubs stunk on offense last year and didn't sniff the playoffs. It's the third time in eight years that Seattle opens with consecutive road games. Last happened in 2015 and the Seahawks lost at the Rams and Packers. Seattle has won three straight vs. Chicago, last in '15 in blowout fashion. Key trend: Seahawks have won and covered past three in Chicago.

Sept. 30 at Cardinals (pick'em): The Seahawks are 4-0-1 in their last five at Arizona, but the Cardinals have a new head coach and starting quarterback. Seattle won 22-16 on a Thursday night in the desert in Week 10 last year. You may remember that game being particularly brutal with several guys leaving injured. Key trend: Seahawks 5-4-1 ATS in past 10 at Cardinals.

Oct. 14 at Raiders (-1.5): Ahead of Seattle's bye and in London - but a 1 p.m. ET start and not 9:30 a.m. It's the London debut for the Seahawks and played at the new stadium of the English Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur soccer club. Seattle has played three games outside the USA but two were in Canada and one in Tokyo. Two of those were preseason. Key trend: Seahawks 7-3 ATS in past 10 before bye (any location).

Oct. 28 at Lions (-1.5): Seahawks out of bye. It's Seattle's first game in Motown since 2012 and the team's final indoor game of the regular season. These teams played in the Pacific Northwest in the Wild-Card Game following the 2016 season and the Seahawks rolled 26-6. Thomas Rawls rushed for a franchise playoff-record 161 yards. He's now with the Jets. Key trend: Seahawks 4-5-1 ATS in past 10 after bye (any location).

Nov. 11 at Rams (-7): No question that Seattle's best road win last year proved to be its 16-10 victory in L.A. in Week 5. The Seahawks were outgained 375-241, but the defense forced five turnovers - two by Thomas, one forced at the Seattle goal line. Key trend: Seahawks have covered past four as road dog in series.

Nov. 25 at Panthers (-3): Seattle had zero 10 a.m. Pacific time kickoffs in 2017. This will be the team's third and last in 2018. The Seahawks on extra rest after hosing the Packers on Thursday in Week 11. It's the seventh meeting between Seattle and Carolina, including playoffs, since 2012. The last was December 2016 when the Seahawks crushed the visiting Panthers. Key trend: Seahawks 4-6 ATS in past 10 at NFC South foes.

Dec. 16 at 49ers (-3.5): Short week for Seahawks after hosting Minnesota on Monday in Week 15. Second game in 14 days between these two. Seattle is 4-0 all-time at Levi's Stadium. It was 24-13 in Week 12 last year as Russell Wilson threw for two scores. Jimmy Garoppolo wasn't San Francisco's starting QB yet. Key trend: Seahawks 6-4 ATS in past 10 as road dog in series.

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