Experts predict dangerous setup for meme treatment in Seahawks' matchup versus Commanders

The Seattle Seahawks are coming into one of the best situations available for Week 9. The Seahawks are coming off a bye week from Week 8, with most of their injured players set to return. Their opponents in the Washington Commanders have some concern with injuries limiting the team, including at the quarterback position with Jayden Daniels.

There is a lot of faith for the Seahawks to remain in the hunt for a key playoff spot and the NFC West Divisional title. Meanwhile, there is currently a lot of concern with the Commanders’ health and their ability to challenge the Philadelphia Eagles. That is why all ten experts from NFL.com predicted the Seahawks to take the Week 9 home win over the Commanders.

On the surface, this should be a great sign that the media outlets believe in the Seahawks’ ability to take this game. These predictions, all favoring Seattle, put a big target on the team’s backs and set up a potential meme treatment. If the Seahawks lose to the Commanders at home, it sets up a reactionary piece of trolls from the national media, the Commanders’ social media, and fans.

This is a common treatment from other teams if they do get the win. It’s a troll move that leaves a bad taste in the losing favorites’ mouths, as it hurts just as much as the loss. 

There are good reasons for concerns in this matchup for the Seahawks. The first is that not all of the Seahawks’ starting secondary will return from injury. On Thursday, Seattle head coach Mike MacDonald said that safety Julian Love suffered a setback and his status for the game is in jeopardy, with IR being a possibility. 

One of the biggest areas for the Seahawks to watch for is the Commanders possibly having Daniels back in the lineup. Daniels was a full participant all week in practice, according to Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. While it is likely that Daniels might not be 100% healthy with his hamstring, he is still a more dangerous player than backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. 

The Seahawks would have liked to have their secondary back healthy, especially defending against Daniels. With Love likely out, until it is announced he will be out, that means rookie Nick Emmanwori moving from slot cornerback or having Ty Okada step up, once again, in place of the injured Love.

Six of the experts have the Seahawks winning by more than one possession on Sunday Night, while four others believe it will be close. The amount the Seahawks win by, according to the ten analysts, is 8.1 points.

The Seahawks have been the hunters for a good portion of the season, but they will have to prepare for a desperate Commanders team that knows they're underdogs.