I am a sucker for the Super Bowl prop bet market. One of my favorite specific props to explore is the outcome of each team’s first drive. That is especially interesting for the Seattle Seahawks, a true juggernaut on both sides of the ball. Will Sam Darnold and this Seattle offense set the right tone on their first drive, or will the New England Patriots defense put them on the back foot?
Seattle is favored by 4.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook, and the game total sits at 45.5 points.
Let’s get into what this first Seahawks drive will look like.
Seattle’s offense has been dominant all year long, but the first drive has not been the kindest to them. In 17 regular-season games, the Seahawks managed a score on six opening drives. It was quite all-or-nothing, with just one field goal made compared to four passing scores and one rushing score. In addition to seven punts, Seattle also missed a field goal, tossed an interception, and turned it over on downs twice.
Aggression was the definite theme in the regular season. Darnold often came out gunning, hence the four passing scores and one interception. The play-calling was aggressive with a handful of fourth-down attempts. One thing is for sure: they’re not afraid to come out swinging.
In their two playoff games, the theme of the first drive is Rashid Shaheed. He housed the opening kickoff against the 49ers in the Divisional Round for a score, a return that few could forget. But he also made the play of the drive to open things against the Rams, a 51-yard bomb on third down that set up a Kenneth Walker rushing score.
So, will the Seahawks come out of the gate swinging once again?
Let’s look at the odds for the Seahawks’ opening drive outcome on DraftKings Sportsbook:
Naturally, the punt comes out as the favorite here. But Seattle’s opening drives tend to be a bit more chaotic than that. I love the value of a passing touchdown as the Seahawks will try to open things up aggressively. Heck, you could sprinkle in an interception or a turnover on downs; I wouldn’t be mad at that.
