Seahawks-Colts will come down to the quarterbacks

By Jim Moore

The Seahawks are actually 8-0 if you count the preseason games this year. They have also covered the spread in every game. If you bet $100 on the first game against San Diego and let it ride on every Seahawks’ game since, you’d have $25,600.

You also would have been sweating bullets with your $12,800 on the line in Houston. Would you be willing to risk the $25,600 in Indianapolis with the Seahawks favored by 2 ½?

After going 15-3 against the spread with Seahawks’ predictions last year, I’m limping lamely along at 2-2 thus far this year, mistakenly taking Carolina and Jacksonville and the points for my two wide-rights.
Anyone who takes the Jaguars this year is out of his mind, and obviously I was two weeks ago.

Colts QB Andrew Luck will lead an offense against Seattle Sunday that will be missing leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw and is still working to incorporate recent addition Trent Richardson. (AP)

The Colts are tough to figure out. Are they the team that hammered the 49ers 27-7 in San Francisco two weeks ago. Or are they the team that narrowly beat Oakland 21-17 in Indianapolis in the season opener?

If I’m Pete Carroll, I was showing my players the tape of that San Francisco game all week long. That would get their attention. The Colts rushed for 179 yards against the Niners while limiting Colin Kaepernick to 150 yards passing and 20 yards rushing. As 10-point underdogs, they manhandled the NFC champions.

With the acquisition of Trent Richardson, the Colts clearly want to have a balanced offense like the Seahawks. The good news for the Seahawks is this:

• Richardson has yet to get untracked, rushing for only 95 yards in two games.

• Ahmad Bradshaw, the Colts’ leading rusher, is out this week with a neck injury. There’s no telling what impact that will have on the Colts’ run game, but it can’t be good.

But when you flip it around, the Seahawks will be challenged themselves, playing without starting tackles Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini again, and they might be missing center Max Unger for a second straight game.

Complicating matters, Zach Miller, a guy who is called upon to block a lot when the Seahawks have a makeshift O-line, probably won’t play because of a hamstring injury.

That leaves the Seahawks with two tight ends – one, Luke Willson, who is known for his pass-catching ability and speed; and the other, Kellen Davis, who has more penalties than receptions with the Seahawks.

Someone explain why they let Sean McGrath go at the end of training camp — he’s tearing it up with the Chiefs and would certainly be useful now.

Another unknown — which Seahawks’ defense do you expect to see, the one that Matt Schaub and the Texans shredded in the first half or the one that blanked the Texans in the second half?

I’m expecting something in between. Since the Colts have Andrew Luck, they will move the ball whether they’re able to establish a running game or not.

Offensively with the Seahawks, will we see another slow start? Will we see another fast finish?

Here’s what I keep wondering — they’re tempting fate with this “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” malarkey. If they keep playing the way they played against Carolina and Houston, it will catch up to them.

As much as I like Russell Wilson, he’s going to run out of fourth-quarter magic at some point.

I see it coming down to the quarterbacks. Luck will have a more difficult time coming through against the Seahawks’ defense than Wilson will with the Colts’ defense — though it’s arguably crazy to say that since Indianapolis has allowed only 10 points the last two weeks.

If I’m in the camp of those who would never think of trading Wilson for Luck and touting that No. 3 is the best quarterback in franchise history and predicting that the Seahawks will go 19-0, I have to keep riding Carroll’s team ’til I’m thrown from the horse.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Colts 17.

Season record against the spread: 2-2.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website jimmoorethego2guy.com and kitsapsun.com. You can reach Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.