After both teams made the playoffs in 2020, the Indianapolis Colts will host the Seattle Seahawks to kick off their 2021 seasons. Let's examine this interconference matchup, beginning with the latest betting odds.

Let Russ Cook

A complaint for a few years now coming from Seattle fans is that they do not let Russell Wilson throw the ball enough. Well last season, Wilson threw recorded 558 passing attempts and had 40 touchdown passes.

Even though these were career highs for Wilson, he still ranked tied for seventh in the league in pass attempts and 11th in yards per game. In the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Wilson only had 27 pass attempts for an abysmal 174 passing yards.

Last season, the Colts were the second ranked rushing defense in the NFL. If the Seahawks hope to start their season with a road win, they will need to let Russ cook and move the ball through the air.

New Era in Indy

Just one year after starting a new quarterback era in Indianapolis, the Colts are at it again. With the retirement of Philip Rivers, Indy made the moves to acquire Carson Wentz in the offseason. They also replaced retired offensive tackle, Anthony Costanzo, with Eric Fisher.

The big issue with the early season is the number of injuries and COVID 19-related issues that the Colts have had to deal with. Nine players have hit the COVID-19 list since the start of training camp, and four offensive starters are either out or questionable for this contest.

The Wentz era is expected to start in Week 1 as he is back at practice and he will enjoy being back with Frank Reich. In 2016 as a rookie, Wentz threw for 3,782 yards. In 2017, he threw for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns in only 13 games before going down with an injury. Reich was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in both of those seasons.

Seahawks and Colts Betting Trends

• The Seahawks are 4-0 ATS in their last four games in September
• The Seahawks are 0-6 ATS in their last six road games
• Over is 5-1 in the Seahawks' last six games in September
• The home team is 4-0 ATS in their last four meetings
• The Colts are 1-11-1 ATS in their last 13 games in Week 1
• The Over is 5-0 in the Colts' last five games in Week 1

Gameplan will be the determining factor

The winner of this game will likely be decided before the game even starts. If the Seahawks come into this game with the idea of trying to establish the run game and winning with ball control and defense, they will lose. However, if they come out trying to pass the ball down the field and keep the Colts' pass rush and stout run defense at bay, they will win.

The Colts also just have too many question marks with their injuries, especially at the offensive line position. Wentz is expected to start, but if he cannot get any time to throw, he may be looking to rush bad passes to avoid any re-injury. Also, the Colts' stacked backfield may struggle to find room to run without their big guys up front.

I think Seattle will look to move the ball through the air on offense and really stack the box and blitz Wentz on defense. This will lead to some big plays for Indianapolis, but also turnovers. The Seahawks will get their season started with a big road win.

Score prediction: Seahawks 31, Colts 24

NFL Week 1 picks: Seahawks -3, Over 50