The NFL is all about beating your opponent at whatever ways you can manage, but there is always an element of luck that goes into determining winners of games.

Injuries and overall health of the team play a massive role. Weather. Momentum. A lot goes into building a winning team that goes beyond the initial 53-man roster or weeks of practice, and it looks like the Seahawks might have that luck on their side in addition to the talent and necessary coaching.

There may not be a better time to face a hurting Bengals team than right after a bye week.

The Seahawks have a rough schedule. Two games against the 49ers by itself makes this a hard schedule for any team. Adding in teams like the Eagles, Lions, Cowboys, and Raven makes this schedule all the more difficult.

The good news for Seattle is that the Bengals, a team that looked much harder in the initial schedule release, should be a lot more manageable due to a variety of factors.

The Seahawks might be banged up, but they are far less banged up than the Bengals, and Seattle is also coming off a week off. 

That is extremely underrated when injuries pile up as much as they do in the NFL. 

Cincinnati has been one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year in large part due to an injury to their most important player. Joe Burrow did look better in his last game, but any nagging injuries will slow him down enough to put the Seahawks in position to make plays, and that may be all it takes to win a game that is harder than it appears on paper.

Assuming Seattle can stay healthy this week and get the most out of their bye, a win over the Bengals and one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites is very much on the table.

Seahawks’ ailing secondary is set to get much healthier in Week 4

They’ll be in much better shape.