Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The New England Patriots will return from last week's bye looking to improve their straight-up record to an AFC-best 8-1 when they host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.

The Patriots return home following a pair of decisive road victories in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Those wins extended New England's current SU and against-the-spread win streak to four games.

The Seahawks travel east after ending a two-game SU winless stretch with a narrow 31-25 victory over the Bills as six-point home chalk Monday night. Seattle leads the NFC West with a 5-2-1 record, but it is a middling 1-2-1 SU on the road (2-2 ATS).

Point spread: The Patriots opened as 9.5-point favorites; the total was 48.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 32.4-15.4 Patriots (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Seahawks can cover the spread

Quarterback Russell Wilson turned in arguably his best performance of the season against the Bills. Wilson completed a season-high 76.9 percent of pass attempts and ended a three-game stretch without a touchdown pass by throwing for a pair of scores—he ran for a third.

Despite their recent bout of inconsistency, the Seahawks remain a dominant defensive force, particularly on the road, where they have allowed just 13 points per game this season.

Seattle has been a strong bet in recent years while pegged as a road underdog of seven or more points. The Seahawks have covered in each of their past three such outings, allowing just 20.3 points per game in those matchups.

Why the Patriots can cover the spread

After surrendering just 13.5 points per game over their first four games, the Seahawks have surrendered 24 or more points in three of their last four contests and over 25 points per game in their past four against New England.

Seattle has allowed an average of 139 yards on the ground over its past three games. That could signal another busy day for Patriots rusher LeGarrette Blount, who has run for touchdowns in seven of eight games this season.

The Patriots defense has dominated at home, giving up just 14.3 points per game in four dates this season. Visiting clubs have particularly struggled in the early going at Gillette Stadium, scoring just one total first-quarter touchdown and averaging just 5.8 points before halftime.

Smart pick

The Patriots are undefeated SU and ATS in their last two games when favored by seven or more points at home, and they are 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS in their past four overall against Seattle. The Seahawks are winless SU in their last three games on Sunday night.

Look for New England to extend its SU win streak but fail to cover as big home favorites on the NFL point spreads.

Betting trends

The Seahawks are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games on the road against the Patriots.

The total has gone over in five of the Patriots' last seven games at home.

The Patriots are 19-0 SU in their last 19 games at home after consecutive road games.

All NFL betting lines and point-spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds-tracker app.