Seahawks vs. Tom Brady's Bucs in GERMANY Preview: Playoff Contenders or Pretenders?
The Seattle Seahawks travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in the first NFL game ever played in Germany. The matchup will kick off at 3:30 p.m. local (Germany) time, which means 12s in the U.S. Pacific time zone will need a big cup of coffee for a 6:30 a.m. start.
The Week 10 game will be the first major non-soccer event held at the home of FC Bayern Munich, which recently captured its 10th consecutive Bundesliga title. Will the 12s be present? Per NFL data, the Seahawks are the second most popular NFL team in Germany, a following that includes the German Sea Hawkers chapter that has 1,316 dues-paying members ... so, possibly!
The surprise leaders of the NFC West division, Seattle has won four straight games with much thanks to the performance of quarterback Geno Smith, who leads the NFL in completion percentage. In a 31-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle racked up 421 yards of total offense. Smith threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns while completing 26-of-34 passes, as rookie phenom Kenneth Walker III rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
"I don't feel like a rookie, but at the same time I still like to learn from the vets," Walker III said. "I feel like it's great to be able to learn a lot from the vets and the guys that have been in the league for a minute. But all in all, I don't feel much like a rookie."
Tampa Bay, led by QB Tom Brady, is fresh off an uplifting 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week Nine. The win improved the Buccaneers to 4-5, good for first place in the NFC South. Which team is a real playoff contender? Sunday could be a good test to find out.
RECORDS: Seattle Seahawks (6-3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5)
ODDS: Seattle is a 1.5-point underdog vs. the Buccaneers.
GAME TIME: Sunday, November 13, 2022, at 6:30 a.m. PT
LOCATION: ALLIANZ ARENA (Munich, Germany)
TV/RADIO: NFL Network, Seattle Sports 710AM • KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM
THE FINAL WORD: Safety Ryan Neal on teammate Smith:
"When you go out and see Geno do something like that, it just shows the theme with this team, the heartbeat of this team. It's us against the world. We go out there, things happen. Come back to your brothers, we've got you. It's all love over here.
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