The Seattle Seahawks will be facing an old, familiar enemy this weekend as they visit Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. While they took Rodgers down in their most famous meeting (the 2015 NFC Championship) Seattle has gone just 1-5 against Rodgers since then and have never managed to beat him on the road.
Perhaps that will change this week, as Rodgers no longer has the mystique of Lambeau Field working in his favor. The Jets are also looking pretty vulnerable, coming into this week with a 3-8 record and speculation rampant about Rodgers' future with the team. Let's see who the experts are predicting will come out on top in this one. Here's a review of who they're picking between the Seahawks and the Jets.
Seahawks-Jets expert picks
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Seahawks 23, Jets 20
"The Seahawks are feeling it as NFC West leaders again thanks to Geno Smith and the defense. Geno returning to New York should be a special moment for him, a reminder of how far he's come as a once-written-off starting QB. That motivation leads to a fine performance to outduel a fading Aaron Rodgers."
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Seahawks 24, Jets 22
"How low can the Jets go? There has been no talk of running the table out of the bye week with Aaron Rodgers. New York is 2-3 S/U at home, and those losses have been by a combined total of five points. That means Seattle is going to have to play well with Geno Smith, who has four TDs, two interceptions, and a 94.5 passer rating on the road this season. This is a trap game for Seattle."
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Jets 23, Seahawks 19
"This is a long trip for Seattle in between two division games against the Cardinals. The Jets are coming off a bye. Advantage, Jets. They haven't played well at all, but something says they rally here to find a way, as Seattle will be focused on Arizona next week. It's a classic sandwich game."
Marcus Mosher, the 33rd Team: Jets 23, Seahawks 20
"This should be a favorable spot for Seattle, but don’t be surprised if the New York Jets put together a strong game plan coming off the bye week. There aren’t any playoff implications for the Jets, so the pressure is officially off them now. So don’t be surprised if they play more relaxed and pull off the upset on Sunday."
Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic: Seahawks 24, Jets 20
"The Seahawks had lost two straight entering their week off in NFL Week 10. They have won two straight coming out of it. Geno Smith and Seattle will continue their winning ways against the Jets."
Our Seahawks-Jets Week 13 pick
As you can see, there's no clear consensus as to who's going to win this matchup. That's appropriate if you believe the latest odds, which have the Seahawks favored but only by two points. We are inclined to believe that this Seattle team is being underrated because the word hasn't really gotten out yet about just how well they have been playing defensively over their last three games. Since the arrival of Ernest Jones they've beaten the 49ers and Cardinals, both of whom had red-hot and elite offenses going by the advanced stats - and they just barely lost to the Rams - which was certainly no fault of the defense.
It's fair to point out that the Seahawks' offense has been stuck in neutral for most of the season - with rare outbursts such as the win against the Falcons when there was no pass rush to worry about. When there is Seattle has done an atrocious job of both protecting Geno Smith and not adjusting the playbook enough to account that fact - something OC Ryan Grubb will have to change in the coming weeks if they're going to make the playoffs. They can't run the ball either and all the pressure has finally broken Geno Smith and he's playing more like the 2013-2014 version of himself than the one we saw in 2022-2023.
Nevertheless, this Seahawks team is more talented overall than the Jets and they are better coached, at least since Robert Saleh was shown the door by Mr. Rodgers. Their offense is likely to struggle against a Jets defense that's tough at all three levels. However, we simply expect Rodgers and the Jets offense to struggle that much more. Seahawks 18, Jets 13.
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