Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
I’ve been saying all week and hyping this game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts up that it could be one of the best games of the season. The Seahawks enter Indianapolis undefeated at 4-0, and are coming off of two huge wins in the last three games against the division rival San Francisco 49ers and on the road against the Houston Texans last week.
Seattle looked very bad in the first three quarters Sunday as they trailed 20-3 at one point in the second half. They looked down and out and headed to their first loss. If it wasn’t for the mistakes by Houston, they likely would have. But, Seattle escaped on great defensive stands late in the game and earned a 23-20 overtime victory on the road.
The Colts are also entering with tons of momentum by winning the last two weeks, with both coming on the road. The wins were dominant performances on both sides of the football, with Indy only giving up 10 total points the last two weeks.
Both teams are now very even and play very similarly. Seattle ranks sixth in points per game and 13th in total offense after being led by the fifth-ranked ground attack. Indianapolis has very similar stats on offense as they rank eighth in points per game, 10th in total offense and boast the fourth-ranked ground game.
On defense, they’re also very close too. Indianapolis ranks fifth in points per game, eighth in total defense and seventh in pass defense. The Seahawks are second in points per game, sixth in total defense and fifth against the pass. Seattle has a +7 turnover ratio while the Colts are +6.
So with all of those stats and both offenses being on the shoulders of two second-year quarterbacks, this game is about as even as you get. Whoever makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win. Colts quarterback Andrew Luck can’t force passes and must be more accurate. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor have two interceptions each and are ball hawks. They won’t drop interceptions.
On the flip side, Russell Wilson will have to deal with a new-found pass rush by the Colts. They have 13 sacks on the season led by Robert Mathis, who already has 7.5 sacks this year in four games. If the pass rush is working, the secondary is solid as they’ve picked off four passes the last two weeks.
This game is won or lost at the line of scrimmage and in the turnover margin. That’s why I lean my pick to the Colts on this one. They’re really good at taking care of the football, and I always lean towards the home team with an even game like this.
Prediction: Indianapolis 20 — Seattle 16
