Umbrellas and ponchos will be a must for fans looking to attend either of the NFL’s two prime time Week 7 games. Weather forecasts are calling for rain and significant wind for the 49ers’ Sunday night home game in San Francisco against the Colts, as well as for the Seahawks’ home game in Seattle on Monday night against the Saints.
Sunday night’s game, which is slated to kick off at 8:15 pm ET, is forecast with a 100 percent chance of rain, according to weather.com, from 5 p.m to past midnight ET (2-10 p.m. local time). That means soggy field conditions inside Levi’s Stadium, which has a natural grass playing surface. There is also a projected 10-13 mph wind throughout Sunday night’s game (with winds expected to reach 32 mph earlier Sunday afternoon).
Then on Monday night in Seattle, weather.com currently gives a 70 percent chance of rain around kickoff at 8:15 p.m ET (5:15 p.m. local time). Rain would have a less significant impact on the playing surface in Seattle, as Lumen Field is one of the few NFL stadiums that uses FieldTurf. But winds are forecast to be even stronger than tonight in San Francisco, reaching 17 mph during the game.
The Seahawks, 49ers, Saints and Colts all feature run-heavy offensive attacks, so the projected weather should not be quite as big of an issue for these teams as it would be for others. In fact, Sunday’s weather could lead to a big game for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in two of the Colts’ last three games. Taylor is coming off of his best game of the season, as he rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries in the Colts’ 31-3 win over the Texans.
San Francisco is a 3.5 point favorite for Sunday night’s game after opening as a 5.5 point favorite, according to Caesars Sportsbook. The point total for the game opened at 44.5 points and was as high as 45.5 points before the weather projections dipped that total to the low mark where it now sits: 42.
For “Monday Night Football,” the Saints are a 4.5-point favorite in Seattle, with the point total at 42.5.
