Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seattle Seahawks: 3 Bold predictions for Week 16
By Samuel Teets
Doug Baldwin and Tyreek Hill will dominate
The veteran route runner and the young speed demon are set to have big games alongside their star quarterbacks. Starting with Baldwin, he hasn’t been a hundred percent this season thanks to nagging injuries. In fact, he currently has a hip injury and it is unsure if he’ll play against the Chiefs. Knowing how much of a competitor Baldwin is, though, I’m sure he’ll do his best to play, even if that means fighting through the injury and some pain.
Some people, myself included, believe Tyler Lockett is the future of the Seahawks at wide receiver. Lockett has had his best year yet thanks to Baldwin’s absence and reduced effectiveness because of injuries. No doubt there will be questions this offseason if Baldwin, who is 30 years old, can return to his Pro Bowl form.
He still has it in him, though. Just last week Baldwin caught four passes for 77 yards and both of Wilson’s passing touchdowns. Like I said earlier, the Chiefs secondary is the worst in football, and if Eric Berry is on a pitch count or still getting readjusted to playing, there will be plenty of opportunities for Baldwin to make plays.
By now, we all know just how Hill can dominate a defense. He’s got breakneck speed and is probably the most well known speedster in the league. He’s basically an All-Pro version of Lockett. This season, Hill has thrived with Mahomes as his quarterback.
The former fifth-round pick is averaging 93.1 receiving yards per game and already has 11 receiving touchdowns. Shaquill Griffin runs a 4.38-second 40-yard time, which makes him one of the fastest defenders, if not the fastest, on the Seahawks roster. Hill’s 40-yard dash time is 4.24 seconds, which is just insane.
The Seahawks defense does have some experience covering speedy receivers though. They have to practice against Lockett, who runs a 4.40-second 40, and they see several of the league’s fastest wide receivers twice a year. Marquise Goodwin, who plays on the 49ers, is a former Olympian and runs a 4.27. J.J. Nelson of the Arizona Cardinals runs a 4.28 and Brandin Cooks from the Los Angeles Rams runs a 4.33.
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Needless to say, the Seahawks defense has plenty of practice against speedy wide receivers, but Hill is something all of those other receivers aren’t. He’s a Pro Bowler and former All-Pro who just so happens to have an MVP candidate throwing to him. We saw the Chargers, with defensive backs Derwin James and Casey Hayward, were able to hold Hill to four receptions for 46 yards last week. I’m willing to bet that won’t happen again and Hill will put up big numbers against the Seahawks.