My pick for this game: Patriots 22, Seahawks 21.

As gametime approaches, my heart says the Seahawks find a way, but my gut is wondering if I shouldn't pick the Patriots by a wider margin.

Here's why:

Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman is catching punts one-handed in warmups, obviously trying not to aggravate his elbow injury.

Seahawks star safety Earl Thomas is wearing a harness under his jersey to protect his injured shoulder.

Kam Chancellor, the other safety, suffered what is believed to be a mild injury in practice and is wearing a knee brace and limping just a bit.

There's little doubt all three will start. But will all three finish?

The Patriots are sharks. If they see an injured player, or a replacement on the field, they will attack that player.

In what is a great matchup and what probably will be a close game, I think those injuries give New England the edge.

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This morning, had longtime Seattle sports columnist Art Thiel on my podcast, and he offered more insight into the Seahawks than I've heard anywhere all week. You can find it and all other podcasts at SouhanUnfiltered.com. Thanks.

@Souhanstrib