Computer likes the Seahawks—I like the Eagles—Livefyre Tailgate in progress…

Welp, the Odds Shark mainframe computer calls it 28-18 for Seattle over the Eagles after a thousand geeky simulations…

But I prefer to take umbrage with that call…

Although I do agree with their Over/Under at 43….

Here’s how the computer sees it— “the Eagles are on a serious slide on the road this season, dropping four straight outside of Philly, both straight-up and against-the-spread. They kept things relatively close in those games, however, losing by an average of 4.75 points.”

The Shark computer’s caveat: Offensively, the game matches up the Seattle Seahawks No. 21-ranked offense (21.44 PPG) against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that ranks No. 3 at 17.78 PPG. The Seahawks passing attack has averaged 264.22 yards per game, more than the Eagles give up through the air (222.44 YPG) on average.

Defensively, the Philadelphia Eagles feature the league’s No. 24-rated road run defense, allowing 123 yards per game. The Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, rank No. 25 in rushing offense at home.

Anyway, if you’re a betting fan, that’s how the Odds Shark sees it.

I see it differently— a clash of diametrically opposed personnel trends in which just about damn near anything could happen— for me, it’s a coin toss. This game could come down to the power of one singular human player’s will to succeed in spite of the odds.

Since we’re in the Emerald City of Oz today, I thought it appropriate to sample one of Seattle’s favorite tailgate dishes:

“Brat n Brau” Sliders

•  Ingredients:
  4 cups beer, plus beer for serving
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 6 (3-ounce) brat patties
• 2 cups sauerkraut
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 mini rye rolls
• 3 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into triangles
• 3 ounces German mustard
• Beer, for serving

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, bring the beer to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the onions.
• Preheat a grill to medium.
• Over medium coals, grill the brat patties on both sides until cooked through. Add the brat patties to the beer and onions, and cook on low heat, just below simmer, (about 140 degrees F). Hold until ready to serve.
• While the brats are grilling, add the sauerkraut to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the butter and water, and cook for about 30 minutes. Set aside. At assembly time, put a brat patty on each roll bottom and top with a few braised onions. Cover the onions with the top of the roll. Put a Swiss cheese triangle on top of each roll and secure with a frill pick. Arrange the rolls on serving plates.
• Put a dollop of mustard on each plate and smear it with the back of a spoon. Fill 1-ounce shot glasses with sauerkraut and serve next to sliders on the plate. Serve with beer chasers.

[Recipe courtesy of Team Tundra]