Can the Colts recover from their Snapfu? They were within striking distance last Sunday night before a head-scratching play call led to a Patriots touchdown and eventual loss. The Saints looked like the championship caliber team in their dismantling of the previously unbeaten Falcons and coach Sean Payton could be auditioning in front of the Indy brass.
ODDS
Indianapolis opened as a 5.5-point favorite with the total at 52.5. The Colts scored a touchdown in the final minutes last week to make their bettors happy, covering the eight point spread. Indy is 0-4 ATS when playing as the favored team. The line was wagered to -5 while the total fell to 52. Inconsistent defensive play by both teams gives the over value.
KEY INJURIES
Andrus Peat – Is expected to miss about four weeks with a sprained MCL. The injury occurred in the first quarter of the Saints’ win over Atlanta. Peat made two starts at left tackle in place of injured Terron Armstead, who is likely to return sooner from his own knee injury.
Joe Vitt – Saints linebackers coach tore his Achilles and suffered a broken wrist in a fall while chasing a pair of thieves attempting to steal his car. Despite the injuries, Vitt never missed a day of work.
Mike Adams – Left last Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return. The Colts safety is listed as day-to-day with the injury and was held out of practice early in the week. Clayton Geathers or Colt Anderson could fill in if Adams is shelved.
KEY MISMATCH
The Saints offense was at its best when Drew Brees was slinging the ball to tight end Jimmy Graham, leading New Orleans to some ridiculous offensive seasons. When Graham was traded, many felt the organization also dealt Brees’ security blanket in the passing game. But the Saints had an answer to those questions with 34-year-old Benjamin Watson taking over as the new tight end threat. Watson set a career-high with 127 receiving yards and tied his career-best with 10 receptions in the Saints’ 31-21 win over Atlanta. But his breakout night wasn’t a total fluke. Watson tore up the practice field a few times this summer and was the hybrid pass-catching tight end long before Graham or Rob Gronkowski came along. It’s not surprising that Brees and the offense click when the tight end is heavily involved.
KEY STAT
-6 – Indianapolis’ turnover margin. The Colts have turned the ball over 12 times this season and are tied for 30th in margin. New Orleans forced three Atlanta turnovers last week and has eight takeaways on the year.
BETTING ANGLE
Chuck Pagano’s future as head coach of the Colts was shaky to begin with after turning down a contract extension in the offseason. He had faith that the roster assembled over the summer and his coaching ability would be enough to give him the upper hand in contract negotiations because he believed he had a team that could contend for the Super Bowl. A shaky start to the season coupled with the worst play call of his head coaching-career last Sunday likely didn’t help his cause of landing another contract with Indy. A victory over the Patriots would have helped his case, but instead the Colts lost and ended up being a laughingstock. The season is only six weeks old, but there’s no denying the pressure is mounting and will continue after each loss. Following the Saints game, the combined record of the Colts’ next three opponents is 16-1.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Brees and the Saints offense were credited with handing the Falcons their first loss of the season, but the team’s youthful defense made quite a transition from the previous week. After surrendering better than 500 yards to the Eagles in a lopsided loss two weeks ago, the D picked it up and throttled Atlanta, holding the Falcons to a single touchdown through the first three quarters. They pressured Matt Ryan with five sacks and recovered three fumbles. There is plenty of youth on that side of the ball and the kids are starting play like a complete unit. There will be the ups and downs that come with having three rookies and a former CFL player starting, but there’s no denying the talent that resides on that side of the ball. The Saints are riding high after knocking off the Falcons and the Colts are still in shock after the “What the Chuck?” play.
New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 29
The NFL betting lines for this Sunday contest were first released by BookMaker and the Colts were positioned as 5.5-point favorites with a total of 52.5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
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