Sunday Night Football Week 4: Seattle Seahawks vs. Indianapolis Colts Prediction, Odds

At least in the early part of the season, “Sunday Night Football” usually features one of the most highly anticipated matchups of each NFL Sunday. That was the case in the season opener when the Dallas Cowboys hosted the New York Giants, as well as the NFC Championship Game rematch in Week 2. Last week’s contest between the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins also had plenty of interest.

Week 4, however, is a different story. The Indianapolis Colts visit the Seattle Seahawks in what could be one of the worst primetime contests of the entire 2017 NFL season.

All it takes is a look at the betting odds to see why fans aren't exactly setting their DVRs for the upcoming matchup. Seattle is the biggest favorite of the week, by far, giving Indianapolis 13 points, via OddsShark. With an over/under of 41.5 points, only one other game in Week 4 is expected to feature less scoring.

Seattle isn’t close to a two-touchdown favorite because of how good they’ve been. Indianapolis is simply considered to be that bad. The Colts are one of the NFL’s worst teams when Andrew Luck isn’t under center, and Indianapolis could be without their starting quarterback for a few more weeks.

The Seahawks have their own problems, having started the season with the same 1-2 record that the Colts own. Seattle opened the season with an eight-point loss in Green Bay, and their 33-27 loss in Tennessee last week wasn’t as close as the score might make it appear. Seattle’s only victory came by just three points when they hosted the winless San Francisco 49ers.

In the first two games of the season, it was Seattle’s defense that failed them. Behind a terrible offensive line, the Seahawks totaled just 21 points, giving Russell Wilson very little time to make plays in the pocket. When Seattle finally got its offense going, their usually reliable defense was dominated by the Titans’ smashmouth rushing attack.

Week 4 doesn’t present the same kind of challenge for the Seahawks Sunday night. Completing more than 70 percent of your passes and posting a 120.0 passer rating against the Cleveland Browns is one thing. Will Jacoby Brissett be able to have nearly that same kind of success against the “Legion of Boom?”

“He is a big, strong guy that can stay in the pocket and has also made yards and made things happen with his legs,” Seattle head coach Pete Carroll told reporters Wednesday. “They know that. It is part of the offense, he is running the ball too some in their scheme. He has made a really nice transition, quickly and looks to be a real factor.”

Seattle still has one of the best defenses in football. From Michael Bennett and Sheldon Richardson up front to a secondary that’s led by Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, the unit is filled with Pro Bowlers.

Brissett threw his first-ever touchdown pass in last week’s 31-28 win over the visiting Browns. Now, the quarterback will go on the road to play in probably the most difficult environment for any opposing team.

The Seahawks might not have enough offensive firepower to cover such a large point spread, but they’ll likely win without much of a problem.

Seattle over Indianapolis, 24-13