Saturday, November 27, 2010

SEAHAWKS: Seahawks vs. Chiefs important match ups.

This week, the Seahawks head back to Quest Field to face the upstart 6-4 Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have one of the most productive offenses in the NFL, especially their rushing game, which is ranked #1 in the league. As always, here are the match ups the Hawks need to win to pull this one out.

Brandon Mebane vs. Casey Wiegmann One of the best ways to defeat a team when they are on the road is stop the run, which evidently is the best way to stop the Chiefs. The Chiefs power runner, Thomas Jones, routinely runs between the guards and center. The Chiefs center, Casey Wiegmann, is 37 and starting to show signs of age. To counter him the Seahawks have 25 year old defensive tackle Brandon Mebane who appears to be entering his prime. If Mebane can get past Wiegmann, the Chiefs power rushing attack could be neutralized.

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Marcus Trufant vs. Dwayne Bowe It seems I say every week some Seahawks defensive back needs to have a big game, but again it's very important. Dwayne Bowe has been on a tear this year, having 45 receptions for 715 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is one of the biggest playmakers in the NFL, evident by at least one touchdown catch in the last six games. The thing is, Bowe is really the Chiefs' only good receiver, with the others being a seriously aging Chris Chambers and rookie Dexter McCluster. If Tru can shut Dwayne down, the Seahawks D-line could have a feast on QB Matt Cassel.

Eric Berry vs. Matt Hasselbeck When you think of speed, you think of Eric Berry. This guy can not only run, he can also tackle very well and has been compared multiple times to Ed Reed. He has struggled this year with zone coverage a bit, and Matt Hasselbeck can take advantage of that. Matt can look one way to essentially move Berry, then throw to the other side of the field away from the number 5 pick in the draft. Hasselbeck will have to do something of this sort, because if Matt throws a deep ball with lots of air under it, just know that Berry will be right there to pick it off.

Matt Cassel vs. The 12th man To be honest, this is the most important match up out of all of these. The Seahawks defense is always better at home, and the Chiefs so far are 1-4 on the road. With the Chiefs being ranked 26th in passing yards (197 per game) and lacking big passing plays, even a 5 yard false start penalty could thwart a productive drive. The Chiefs are a relatively young team, and the noise of the 12th man should affect them in every way. And if you get people like Aaron Curry and Brandon Mebane pumped up, there is no limit to what they can do.

Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com