Week 14: Seahawks at Jaguars Picks & Predictions

Check out which side the national media is picking to win this weekend's matchup between the Seahawks and Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida. Brady Henderson at ESPN.com likes Seattle this Sunday, 21-18, "Jacksonville leads the NFL in sacks and ranks third at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. But the Seahawks' pass protection has improved quite a bit with Duane Brown at left tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, Seattle allowed pressure on 39.4 percent (30th in the NFL) of Wilson's dropbacks before the Brown trade, as compared to 23.1 percent (eighth) since Brown arrived in Week 9. The Seahawks' 24-10 win over Philadelphia last week was another reminder that they shouldn't be written off in their injury-weakened state. An improved offensive line, a running game that has shown signs of life and a defense that has still been good without Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor will be enough on Sunday in Jacksonville." Mike DiRocco at ESPN.com favors the Seahawks by double digits, 24-14, "This game is all about the Jaguars' offense. The defense -- which leads the NFL in sacks, pass defense and scoring -- has its hands full with Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin, but there are enough playmakers at all levels to limit the big plays that Wilson creates with his legs. However, the Jags' offense is going to have a hard time moving the ball consistently. Leonard Fournette is still dealing with an ankle injury and has run for just 226 yards and one touchdown on 77 carries (2.9 per carry) in the past four games. The offensive line is banged up too. The biggest issue, though, are the receivers dealing with the half of the 'Legion of Boom' still standing. Rookie Keelan Colehas been up and down all season and has battled drops. Rookie Dede Westbrook is playing in just his fourth game. Marqise Lee is the Jaguars' top option, but he has battled rib and knee injuries over the past six weeks and leads the NFL with seven drops. The Jaguars just don't have enough firepower to score a lot of points." Elliot Harrison at NFL.com picks the Seahawks to win by three, 13-10, "Taking the plunge in trusting the Seahawks to play well enough on the road to beat a division leader. Tough to do, given that the Jaguars own the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, and the flight from Seattle to Jacksonville represents one of the longest road trips in the NFL. Also not helping this pick: Earlier this season, Seattle was throttled by the Titans (before playing frantic catch-up football). I'm not confidentBlake Bortles and the Jags' receivers can capitalize on the Achilles' heel of Seattle right now: a banged-up secondary missing Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. Offensively, maybe the Seahawks should come out in no-huddle, letting Russell Wilson play with a sense of urgency in quarter No. 1. Wilson is tied with Eli Manning(2011) for the most fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a single season." Pete Prisco at CBSSports.com has Jacksonville winning by six, 20-14, "This focus of this game will be the Jaguars defense against Russell Wilson. But I think the other matchup – Jacksonville's offense against the Seattle defense – will decide this one. Blake Bortles played well against the Colts last week, and I think it will carry over here. It won't be as good, but good enough. The Jaguars win a low-scoring game."BleacherReport.com's Chris Simms projects a 16-12 Seattle win, "This Jacksonville team is very similar to the Seattle Seahawks of 2013—minus Russell Wilson, of course. Schematically, these two defenses are mirror images of each other, but Jacksonville has the superior unit at this point. In fact, the Jaguars are the most talented team in football on the defensive side. The advantage Seattle has in this matchup is the fact the Seahawks offense practices against this scheme every day." Sam Farmer at the Los Angeles Times predicts a three-point win for Jacksonville, 23-20, "The Seahawks could have a letdown after playing big at home against the Eagles. Now, they have to travel all the way across the country, and Jacksonville is ready for a slugfest." Benjamin Hoffman at the New York Times picks the Jaguars to win straight up, "The Seahawks surprised a lot of people with a tremendous performance against Philadelphia last Sunday, but they will have a hard time scoring against Jacksonville on the road." Michael David Smith and Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com are split in their picks, with MDS taking the Jaguars 17-13 and writing, " It sounds odd to say a December game in Jacksonville is a big one, and even odder to say the Jaguars are going to win. But they will, thanks to their first-rate pass defense holding MVP candidate Russell Wilson in check," while Florio sides with the Seahawks 24-17, noting, "It’s potentially a sneaky great game, but December is a bad month to see the Seahawks on the schedule." David Steele at Sporting News sees the Seahawks winning a close contest, 24-23, "Logic dictates that Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Kris Richard should be able to dial up something to keep Blake Bortles in check, but keeping Leonard Fournette in check is another story. This is a supreme test for both teams." Jim Moore at 710Sports.com has the Seahawks winning 13-9, "Handicapping the matchup, the Seahawks’ offense is better than Jacksonville’s, and the Jaguars’ defense is better than Seattle’s. Jacksonville is favored by 2 1/2 because of the home field, but I’ll take the Seahawks because of the huge difference at quarterback." Four of eight experts at CBSSports.com are picking Seattle to win, five of 10 analysts at ESPN.com select the Seahawks, four of six polled at SI.com side with Seattle, two of eight polled at SBNation.com pick the Seahawks to win, while four of five writers at USA Today project a Seahawks victory.