NFL Week 6: Patriots QB Tom Brady Faces Seahawks' 12th Man for First Time

Date/Time: Sun, Oct 14 / 04:10:00 PM ET, CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Sunday's affair between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks brings many questions for fans and sports bettors.  The matchup pits two teams with similar stats and winning records (3 wins and 2 losses), but with opposite tactics and game styles.  One is currently ranked as the No. 1 offense in the NFL. The other holds the No. 1 ranked defense in the league.

Tom Brady and the Pats enter the game holding a two-game winning streak. After back to back losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the Baltimore Ravens on Week 2 and 3, Brady led his teams to two consecutive wins over the Buffalo Bills (52-28) and the Denver Broncos (31-21).

Yeah, we all know what the Pats are capable these days, but that doesn’t minimize Seattle’s potential and winning aspirations. While the New England Patriots are 3.5-point favorites heading into their Week 6 game, playing the Seahawks at their home stadium won’t be an easy task.

In addition to the league's #1 defense and a revamped attitude, Seattle counts with a secret weapon to neutralize the Pats: a frenzied coliseum and the most vociferous fans in the NFL, also known as the "12th Man".

For New England’s QB Tom Brady, playing at the CenturyLink Field is a completely new experience.  Brady, who was sidelined in 2008 when Patriots last visited the Seahawks, has never played a game in Seattle (One of three cities he has yet to play beside San Francisco and Tampa).

Now, the crowd at CenturyLink Field is epically loud during Seahawks games; in fact, the noise has contributed to the team's home field advantage with an increase in false start penalties against visiting teams since opposing offenses can miss audibles and the snap count. In 2005, the visiting New York Giants committed 11 false start penalties attributed to the enthusiasm and noise from the crowd.

The noise has been so obtrusive that it actually registered a seismic reading during the 2010 playoffs, and Seahawks fans were even nominated to be on the "Madden 12" cover.

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Despite the noise, effusiveness, and other possible issues, the Patriots will make some adjustments exclusively for this game. The coaches will relay the play calls with and without headsets to prepare for crowd noise. If the crowd noise becomes an issue, they’ll signal the play in from the sideline. If the team can’t huddle and Brady can’t dictate the call verbally, he’ll either have to yell at his players or use sign language to organize his offense.

But that’s not it. On top of the noisy crowd, volatile atmosphere and field disadvantage, the Pats have to overcome another obstacle:  Seattle’s defense. The Seahawks have not allowed opponents to score offensive touchdown in 128 minutes since Green Bay’s Cedric Benson scored on TD run in fourth quarter of Week 3.  In addition, in their last home game vs. Green Bay, Seahawks recorded eight sacks in first half with DE Chris Clemons having four.

Game Odds:
New England Patriots: -3.5-110, ML -180
Seattle Seahawks: +3.5-110, ML +160
Game Total: 45, o/u -110