The Colts certainly didn’t look like a contender in the AFC after their season-opening loss at Buffalo. With all the turmoil surrounding the Jets this summer, a beatdown of the Browns was the last thing folks expected.
Indianapolis looks to get the stars in alignment and avoid their second straight 0-2 start when they host the New York on Monday Night Football. Indy is 10-2-1 ATS in its last 13 games at Lucas Oil Stadium.
ODDS
Indianapolis opened as a 6-point favorite and the spread was wagered to its current -7. The total sits at 46.5 and there’s likely no hotter under wager than the Colts, who have failed to top the closing total in eight consecutive games.
KEY INJURIES
Antonio Cromartie – Left last week’s game with a sprained knee and skipped practice early in the week. He’s listed as doubtful for Monday but all indications are he will not play. Undrafted free agent Marcus Williams will likely get the start if Cromartie is still limping around.
T.Y. Hilton – Didn’t suffer any structural damage to his left knee, an MRI revealed, but the injury forced him to leave last week’s game in the second half. If he sits, look for Donte Moncrief to get a bigger role in the offense.
Darius Butler – Sat out practice this week with a hip injury and is questionable for Monday night. He’s starting in place of Greg Toler at cornerback and could further hurt the Colts defense if he’s unable to play.
KEY MISMATCH
You can bet Jets’ coach Todd Bowles watched tape of the Colts game against Buffalo and noticed how often Bills coach Rex Ryan blitzed. Buffalo blitzed on 49 percent of quarterback Andrew Luck’s dropback attempts. The Jets have the luxury of Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis, who is capable of eliminating one side of the field with his coverage skills. Luck and the Colts are also faced with the possibility of not having their best receiver available as Hilton may miss the game with a bruised left knee. Andre Johnson also looked slow and had only four catches on 10 targets last week, further weakening the Colts receiving corps. New York’s other corner, Antonio Cromartie has a sprained left knee and his status for the game is unknown.
KEY STAT
+4 – New York’s turnover margin. The Jets forced five turnovers – four fumbles and an interception – against Cleveland. New York took advantage by scoring 21 points. The Colts had three turnovers against Buffalo in Week 1.
BETTING ANGLE
The Colts entered the season as a favorite in the AFC and need to bounce back from a disappointing showing in the opener. With Luck coming off a career year and advancing Indy to the AFC Championship Game, the Colts are among the trendiest picks to reach Super Bowl 50. But they were thoroughly outplayed and knocked down a peg in a loss at Buffalo last week. The Colts are playing for a third straight AFC South title, but only 13.7 percent of the teams to lose their opener went on to win their division since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978. But few franchises have been more proficient at avoiding back-to-back losses than the Colts. In Luck’s first 49 regular season games, Indy has lost two straight just one time, those coming in the first two games last season, when the Colts won a second straight division title and reached the conference championship game for the first time post-Manning.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Everything, especially injuries, is magnified after a stinker of a game. And when it’s the opener, the criticism is twice as thick. The Colts were hurt by turnovers last week, three of them to be exact, and blown assignments on the offensive line created by Buffalo’s blitz packages. The O-line will work out its coverages, Luck will have time to throw and the Colts will bounce back, like they seemingly always do with the bearded-one. The Jets won’t be gifted five turnovers by the Colts and Luck doesn’t get rattled as easily as Johnny Manziel was last week. The Jets will get their yards on the ground behind Chris Ivory, but the Colts will hold their own and won’t let Ryan Fitzpatrick beat them.
Indianapolis 30, New York 20
The NFL betting lines for this Sunday contest were first released by BookMaker and the Colts were positioned as 6-point favorites with a total of 46.5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts will go down Monday, September 21, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
