The Seattle Seahawks might very well be a much better team than the Indianapolis Colts, even if Indy had not recently lost quarterback Daniel Jones to an Achilles tendon injury. Seattle could have beaten Indy even had Jones been healthy. The Seahawks are that good.
But in Week 15, head coach Mike Macdonald's team will not be facing Jones at his best, or at all. Instead, the Colts might be starting recently retired Philip Rivers, the 44-year-old grandfather who was a Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist until he decided to reset his Hall vote by returning.
Or maybe Seattle will face Riley Leonard, the rookie out of Notre Dame who hasn't played meaningful snaps until Jones was injured in Week 14 and Leonard played the final three quarters of his team's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even if Leonard or Rivers are solid, Seattle should still win.
Seattle Seahawks should be able to take advantage of Colts' injury-riddled defense
That is because the team can expose a glaring issue that Indianapolis has with its defense. For one, the Colts have not gotten consistent pressure from any player other than Laiatu Latu and DeForest Buckner, and Buckner might miss the game after coming off injured reserve with a neck injury.
Indy's biggest problem is likely not having cornerback Sauce Gardner and definitely not having Charvarius Ward. Ward was placed on IR ahead of Week 15 after suffering his third concussion of the season in Week 14. With no Ward or Gardner, the Seahawks and their speedy wide receivers have no excuse but to be successful.
The truth is that Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been highly productive against nearly every team except the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13. The Colts might blitz quarterback Sam Darnold some, but are not nearly as good at the scheme as the Vikings or even Seattle's Week 14 opponent, the Atlanta Falcons.
This should leave JSN and Rashid Shaheed in single coverage against players such as Mekhi Blackmon and Jaylon Jones. Both are worthy of being NFL players, but neither is nearly as good as Ward or Gardner. This means even if Philip Rivers or Riley Leonard somehow find success against a great Seahawks defense, Seattle should be able to outscore Indianapolis.
Indianapolis is solid against the run, but it can be exposed over the middle of the field in pass coverage, so Cooper Kupp might have a huge week, too. The simple truth is that the Colts should have no answer against Jaxon Smith-Njigba and his mates, and Seattle should win by two touchdowns.