If the Denver Broncos aren’t the hottest team in the NFL this season, then the Seattle Seahawks are. Owners of a 3-0 record and the best quarterback this season not named Peyton Manning, the Seahawks and QB Russell Wilson take on the Houston Texans today at 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific on FOX. The game’s being billed as a meeting of the defenses, although the offenses for each team are just as strong. Easily the best early game of the NFL’s Week 4 schedule, this is one you will want to see on FOX TV or watch Seahawks vs Texans online free live stream using one of several different methods.
Today’s matchup between the Seahawks and Texans is one of the most evenly matched we’ve seen so far this season. The Seahawks fly into Houston with the eighth-ranked Offense and top-ranked Defense, while the Texans boast the seventh-ranked Offense and second-ranked Defense. Their passing games show some discrepancy, with the Seahawks having the NFL’s 16th-rated passing game and the Texans rolling a top-10 rating at Number 8, but things even up again on the ground, where Seattle ranks eighth and the Texans rank tenth.
Those ground attacks are anchored by Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch and Texans running back Arian Foster, both of whom have slowed down compared to their standout seasons last year but are still plenty dangerous. Says Seahawks.com: “Last season, Lynch averaged a career-best 5.0 yards per carry while running for a career-high 1,590 yards, including 10 games with at least 100 yards. This season, he is averaging 3.4 yards per carry and is on pace for a 1,120-yard season as the Seahawks’ first three opponents have stacked their defenses to stop Lynch. Last season, Foster was second in the AFC with 1,424 yards and also ran for 15 TDs. This season, he is averaging 3.9 yards per carry, has one rushing touchdown and is on pace for a 1,103-yard season.”
In spite of these great RBs, the passing games may hold more intrigue, particularly after Russell Wilson’s breakout game last week against the Jaguars. Wilson had heard the chatter that he was slipping, but silenced his critics by tossing four touchdown passes before calling it a day before the third quarter was even over. Meanwhile, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has led his team to a top-10 passing result in spite of having an interception returned for a TD in each of the past two games. With the Seahawks tied for second in interceptions (five), how each QB responds to the opposing defense will be reason enough to watch Seahawks vs Texans online free live stream NFL Week 4.
Seattle’s offense suffered a potential blow on Friday when Pro Bowl center Max Unger was declared a game-time decision for the Texans game by Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. Right tackle Breno Giacomini was also listed as inured, and if neither player suits up today against the Chiefs, the Seahawks would be starting three backups on their offensive line. That’s certainly not a good news story when preparing for the second-ranked defense in the NFL.
Which brings us back to so many people looking forward to the defensive matchups. Seattle leads the NFL in scoring defense (9 points) and total defense (241.7 yards), and through three games has forced 10 turnovers and seven sacks. This stout defense has led the Seahawks to be favored over the Chiefs by three points in some books after having started the week as two-point favorites.
That’s a slim spread, to be sure, and with teams this evenly matched — at least on paper — there’s sure to be no shortage of awesome moments today. FOX Sports has an outstanding game lineup today, and this 1pm Eastern / 10am Pacific matchup is tops among them. Interested viewers can watch Seahawks vs Texans online free live stream on the NFL Network, on this site, or at this DirecTV page.