Good morning, 12s. Here's a look at what's out there today — Friday, September 18 — about your Seattle Seahawks.

Picks and Predictions For Sunday Night Football Matchup With New England Patriots

The Seahawks (1-0) are set to face off against the New England Patriots (1-0) in primetime on Sunday Night Football on NBC. Kickoff is set for 5:20 p.m. PT on Sunday, September 20 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson and Mike Reiss each predict the Seahawks to get the win in their home opener. Henderson has the Hawks winning 27-20, and has his eye on Russell Wilson and the offensive approach following last week's aerial outburst:

"What to watch for: Will the Seahawks continue to let Russell Wilson cook? They strayed from their usual establish-the-run M.O. and dropped back to pass on 11 of their 14 first-quarter offensive plays against Atlanta. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has said matchups will factor into how much the Seahawks throw early, and the matchup this week includes the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year in cornerback Stephon Gilmore." Reiss, who covers the Patriots for ESPN, has Seattle winning by a smaller margin of 20-17.

NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal also predicts a Seahawks victory, by a score of 27-19. He also touched on the Let Russ Cook movement and how the Patriots' defense will impact the Hawks' offensive gameplan:

"The Patriots' incredibly diverse Week 1 rushing attack is unlikely to be repeated on Sunday night. That strategy was built to expose Miami's weak linebackers and extra defensive backs, which is not Seattle's problem. Similarly, Russ is unlikely to cook at the same temperature against perhaps the best collection of cornerbacks in football. The Patriots will invite the Seahawks to run, and Brian Schottenheimer is not one to turn down that invitation. Even in a best-case Patriots season (11-5?), this looks like one of those losses. Their offense will take time to build up its passing concepts. They had incredible turnover in defensive personnel up front and have completely transformed their offense. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are locked and loaded from the jump, like a team with a top-three quarterback and excellent supporting cast should be. Pats fans know well what those teams look like."

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports also thinks the Patriots defense won’t be enough to stop Wilson: "If Bill Belichick had the defensive horses from 2019, I'd be far more inclined to take the Pats here. The Pats did well against the Dolphins last week, but this is an entirely different ball of wax. Russell Wilson was unconscious against the Falcons. Brian Schottenheimer may just D.K. Metcalf-go-route the Patriots to death Sunday night … The pick: Seahawks."

Three of four Seattle Times sports writers picked the Seahawks for Sunday night’s matchup — Matt Calkins went against the grain and took the Patriots by a field goal, 27-24: "Incredible as Tom Brady was for the Patriots, coach Bill Belichick has shown that he can win without him in the past. And now with a more-than-solid signal caller in Cam Newton, plus one of the league's best defenses, New England will have the upper hand against a Seahawk team lacking its top-of-the-league fan base."

Seattle PI’s Ben Arthur predicts a 25-10 Seahawks win, and makes some bold predictions for the defense: "Pete Carroll's defense forces four turnovers and posts six sacks on an New England offense that is still finding its way in the post-Tom Brady era. Rookie fifth-round pick Alton Robinson and defensive tackle Jarran Reed have two sacks apiece. Dunbar has two of the team's three interceptions."

Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News predicts a three-point Seahawks victory, 23-20: "Cam Newton had a solid debut running for the Patriots. Russell Wilson had another spectacular start passing for the Seahawks. Both teams have solid secondaries to keep the downfield shots in check, but Wilson is equipped with a more reliable running game and better, deep wide receivers. You can also bet old AFC East foe Jamal Adams will want to keep making an impact for Seattle with New England in his new town. The Seahawks won't have the normal crowd noise behind them, but it's still a long trip for a Patriots team still figuring out things offensively. Pete Carroll gets the better of Bill Belichick in another close one for these teams, only with no Super Bowl on the line."

Four of six Bleacher Report writers picked the Seahawks to win Sunday Night: "Newton and Pats coach Bill Belichick were able to take the Dolphins by surprise with their offensive approach in Week 1, but the Seahawks have now had a chance to review that tape and prepare for what appears to be an option-heavy New England offense," their staff said. "The defensive talent and overall experience in Seattle should help with that. And while Wilson might not be as effective against a strong New England secondary as he was in Atlanta, his career 128.5 passer rating against the Pats indicates he won't be intimidated by Belichick and Co. Oh, and in the Wilson era, the Seahawks are 16-3 straight-up and 13-5-1 against the spread in home prime-time games."

Seattle Guitarist Ayron Jones To Perform National Anthem At Home Opener

West Seattle resident and newly signed artist Ayron Jones is set to perform the national anthem on guitar before the Seahawks' home opener against the Patriots on Sunday.

Jones, a lifelong Seahawks fan who was recently signed to Big Machine Records, has opened for B.B. King and played with the likes of Seattle native Duff McKagan and his band, Guns N' Roses. His influences range from different Seattle artists such as Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix and Sir Mix-A-Lot. Julien Luebbers of the Spokesman-Review has described Jones as “Seattle’s musical history taking on a new and contemporary form”.

Download or stream his new single, “Take Me Away,” here.

Virginia Mason's Dr. Eliot Fagley Selected To Raise 12 Flag on Sunday

The raising of the 12 Flag is a time-honored tradition at CenturyLink Field, and while fans might not be in stadium to witness, they'll be well represented by a community hero. Dr. Eliot Fagley was selected to represent the Critical Care Unit's COVID-19 response team at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. In addition to raising the flag, Dr. Fagley and his family will be cheering on the Seahawks in an otherwise empty stadium thanks to Walmart, a special moment for a family kept apart during the pandemic. Walmart also helped "plus up" the experience with a special 12 Flag raising at Virginia Mason on Tuesday, Walmart+ memberships for the entire COVID-19 response team, and a $50,000 donation in PPE to the Virginia Mason Health System.

Homegating Recipe of the Week Presented by Safeway – Ground Sirloin & Spinach Empanadas

This week's featured recipe in the Seahawks Homegating series presented by Safeway is Ground Sirloin & Spinach Empanadas.

Filled with ground sirloin, fresh red bell pepper and onion, the baked biscuit snacks take less than half an hour to prepare and will be sure to satisfy your gameday crowd. Click here for the recipe. In addition to providing detailed instructions, Safeway has also added a "Shop the Recipe" feature to each recipe page, making it easy to add all the ingredients (or just the ones you need) to your cart for a Safeway DriveUp & Go or Delivery order.

Social Post Of The Day

DK Metcalf has been unguardable since birth, according to himself:

More From Around The Web

Seahawks.com reporter John Boyle on Russell Wilson’s desire to be “the best in the world to ever do this”

Also at Seahawks.com, read about the Seahawks’ continued support of the Black Future Co-op Fund.

Ahead of Sunday night's matchup with the Patriots, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reflects on Super Bowl XLIX and how it has impacted both teams six years later.

Brent Stecker at 710 ESPN says that the best is still yet to come for Jamal Adams and the Seahawks’ defense.

Seattle Times' Bob Condotta on the importance of Russell Wilson being one of 10 Black quarterbacks to start in week one, a record for the opening week of the season.

ESPN's Brady Henderson writes about the impact of not having any 12s in the stands for the primetime home opener against the Patriots.