Tale of the tape

Week 15: Seattle Seahawks At Buffalo Bills (at Toronto)

Seahawks

Bills

Russell Wilson is having a sensational rookie season. Wilson is an excellent athlete who has learned how to read NFL defenses quickly. He has enough arm strength to throw the quick out and he does not throw the ball into coverage. Wilson has completed 63.0 percent of his passes and he has a 20-9 TD-interception ratio.	Quarterback	Ryan Fitzpatrick can do a lot of good things at the quarterback position, but it has not helped turn the Bills into a winning team. Fitzpatrick has the quickness to avoid the first wave of the rush and can throw short- and medium-range passes with accuracy. However, he tends to press when the Bills have to play from behind, which is most of the time.
The Seahawks have become a very aggressive running team, thanks to the nasty attitude that Marshawn Lynch brings on an every-game basis. Lynch has rushed for 1,266 yards and is gaining 4.9 yards per carry. He also has found the endzone 12 times. Sidney Rice has the speed to get deep and Golden Tate is tough to bring down after he catches a pass.	Offense	The Bills want to use their running game to take pressure off of Fitzpatrick. C.J. Spiller is an explosive runner who has the speed to break the long run. He has gained 944 yards and he is averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson is the kind of receiver who can make big plays deep down the field. Tight end Scott Chandler is a solid red zone target.
The Seahawks defense blanked the hapless Cardinals in Week 14. The Seahawks rank 3rdoverall in defense and 4th against the pass. The key to the defense is the pass rush of Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin, who have combined for 17.0 sacks. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner is a super productive rookie who leads the team with 109 tackles. He also has seven passes defensed.	Defense	The pass rushing ability of defensive end Mario Williams is the key to the Bills’ defense. He had a slow start with the Bills but he is now up to 10.5 sacks. Outside linebacker Nick Barnett has done a solid job and leads the team with 92 tackles. Free safety Jairus Byrd can be a ball hawk and he has five interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
The Seahawks can make big plays in the return game thanks to savvy and speedy Leon Washington. He excels at following his blocks and then exploding once he sees even the smallest openings. Steven Hauschka has been a solid kicker, making 19-of-22 attempts. He has not missed a FG attempt of less than 50 yards.	Special Teams	The Bills have gotten solid production from their punt and kickoff return teams. Leodis McKelvin has had two punt returns for touchdowns, while Brad Smith brought a kickoff return for a touchdown. Rian Lindell has had a solid year at the placekicker slot, making 19-of-20 FG attempts.

The winner is

Seahawks

4 out of 4

The Seahawks are charging ahead at full speed right now and they have a collision on the horizon in Week 16 with San Francisco. If they want to have any chance at the NFC West championship, the Seahawks must take care of business against the Bills. Don’t expect any let-up against the Bills from the Seahawks.

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