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We finally got a chance to see what the New England Patriots look like without Tom Brady running the show, and Cam Newton brought a new element to the offense in his season debut. The Seattle Seahawks’ offense looked good on Sunday as well as both teams started the season off with a win.
Newton did most of his damage on the ground in New England’s 21-11 home win over the Miami Dolphins. He rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries and scored two touchdowns. If he can do this consistently and stay healthy, the Patriots will be incredibly difficult to stop on offense. He also completed 15 of 19 passes for 155 yards.
Russell Wilson was unstoppable for the Seahawks in their 38-25 road win over the Atlanta Falcons. He completed 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards and four interceptions with zero interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 29 yards on three carries. Seattle didn’t run the ball all that well with Carlos Hyde receiving seven carries for 23 yards and a touchdown with Chris Carson gaining 21 yards on six carries.
Who’s going to start out the season 2-0? Let’s dive into some key items to consider heading into Sunday night’s game.
TV Info
Date: Sunday, September 20
Time: 8:20 p.m.
Channel: NBC
Live stream: NBCSports.com/live
Notable Statistical rankings (Football Outsiders)
Patriots: 3rd Offense, 5th Defense, 25th Special Teams
Seahawks: 2nd Offense, 21st Defense, 3rd Special Teams
DraftKings Sportsbook odds
Patriots: +4, +165
Seahawks: -4, -190
Total: 45
Pick: Seahawks
Injury report
Patriots
DT Adam Butler (shoulder), LB Brandon Copeland (knee), WR Julian Edelman (knee), WR N’Keal Harry (shoulder), CB Jonathan Jones (foot), TE Dalton Keene (neck), LB Cassh Maluia (knee)
Seahawks
T Duane Brown (resting veteran), DE Rasheem Green (neck), T Cedric Ogbuehi (pectoral), WR Phillip Dorsett (foot)
Fantasy football start/sit advice
Patriots
Cam Newton: One intriguing storyline heading into the 2020 NFL season is what Newton would look like - not only in a Patriots uniform but how well he could hold up as he battled through plenty of injuries. He looked very good and could develop into a dangerous QB1 option with his running ability, especially in the red zone. He might be more of a high-end QB2 this weekend, but it’s tough to have any issue with him slotted in as a starter in standard leagues.
Seahawks
Chris Carson: Seattle’s running back gained just 21 yards on six carries and received one less rush than Carlos Hyde, though Carson added 45 yards on six catches and scored two receiving touchdowns. Seeing less carries than Hyde is somewhat concerning, but we can assume this won’t be the case moving forward with Carson expected to be the featured back. He can be locked in as an RB2 on Sunday night.
Tyler Lockett: The Seahawks’ wide receiver hauled in all eight of his targets on Sunday for 92 yards. Wilson completed 31 passes and if the Seattle offense continues to feature the passing game on a consistent basis, this could be a huge year for Lockett and other Seahawks’ pass catchers. Lockett can be used as a WR2 against the Patriots.