For the first time since 2013 the Seattle Seahawks are taking a trip to the Heartland to visit the Indianapolis Colts. It is the second consecutive season the Seahawks have started the season on the road and the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Under Pete Carroll, the Seahawks are 3-8 when it comes to road openers. However, they have won their two previous in 2019 against the Steelers and last year in Atlanta. While both were solid victories, this Colts team poses a considerably more difficult challenge than either of the aforementioned squads.
Indianapolis is coming off an 11-5 season which ended with a narrow 27-24 defeat in Buffalo to a Bills team that went on to the AFC Championship. Despite having a new quarterback under center for yet another season, the Colts are team built to win by defense and behind former Wisconsin standout Jonathan Taylor.
This will pose an interesting challenge for the Seahawks defense right off the bat. Last year when teams like Minnesota, New York and Los Angeles committed to the run against Seattle they found success. Now the Seahawks will test their run defense against an emerging star in the back field.
Seattle will also be debuting their new offense under first year coordinator Shane Waldron, and facing a stout Colts defense won’t be a walk in the park.
Prediction: Seahawks over Colts 26-21
Quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense were masterful against an overmatched Atlanta team. This year, it’s not likely to be as pretty. Indianapolis has more than enough talent to make the Seahawks work for a win, especially playing under a new offense for the first time.
While I predict Russell Wilson may not be spotless when it comes to the box score, I simply cannot pick the Seahawks to lose when the opposing quarterback is Carson Wentz, who is 0-5 in his career against Seattle.
Wentz has plenty of talent, but has turned into a turnover machine as of late. He will also be playing behind an injured Colts offensive line, who may very well be without arguably the league’s best lineman in guard Quenton Nelson.
If this is the case, then the key to the game is for the pass rush to take advantage and force an inexperienced quarterback with this team – who is coming off a foot procedure and missed time due to COVID-19 protocols – into some early mistakes.
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