The last thing the Indianapolis Colts needed right now was a road game against one of the toughest defensive teams in the league. That's what they've got on their hands this week though, as they have to travel to the surging Carolina Panthers, a bunch which looks more and more like a contender each and every week.
WHEN THE CAROLINA PANTHERS HAVE THE BALL
The Colts are having problems with gadget plays right now, and the Panthers are full of them. No, we're not talking strictly about flea flickers and double passes, but more the misdirection plays and passes to running backs on long developing routes.
No one runs the spread option like Cam Newton does, and the fact of the matter is that he's playing like an MVP right now. Don't let these five interceptions the last two games fool you. That's really more of a product of his wide receivers and some general misfortune more than anything else.
There's little that makes us think the Colts can do anything to change that. Jonathan Stewart is sure to slam the rock up the middle, and if he continues to do that against this defense, live bettors will quickly see that Carolina is going to get points on the board.
Don't look now, but Carolina has scored at least 27 points in four games in a row, a number which it is quite capable of getting to in this game.
WHEN THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS HAVE THE BALL
The real question in our eyes for live betting purposes is whether the Colts are going to be able to respond or not. In reality, we doubt it.
There's something still not right about Andrew Luck right now. We'd bet that shoulder injury which cost him a couple games is still bothering him and might need surgery in the end to be totally right. Sure, he got plenty of air under the ball when he had to on long touchdown passes to T.Y. Hilton last week against the Saints, but with apologies to New Orleans, Carolina has a significantly better secondary and isn't going to allow 87-yard touchdown passes to be thrown while nursing a three touchdown lead.
If you're a believer like we are that Luck is really still hurting, the onus is going to be on a ground game which basically had to get abandoned last week after falling behind by four scores.
The Panthers are big and bad up front, but they've got some holes in there, too. They won't average allowing 4.3 yards per game for the rest of the year in all likelihood now that Luke Kuechly is back and healthy, but at least there's something here to work with. The Colts don't necessarily need 150 yards on the ground or anything like that as a team, but if they don't show a commitment to the run, this Carolina secondary is just going to eat a pick-happy Luck alive, giving live bettors all sorts of opportunities to bet on the hosts.
TREND TO TRACK
If you take AFC South games out of the equation, the Colts are 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS this season. That one cover came courtesy of a massive backdoor against New England in primetime a couple weeks ago.
Live bettors have to be aware of this simple fact: Outside of the division, the Colts aren't a .500 team in the Luck era. If you bet on Indy in hopes that it really is a good team, think again. This isn't a good team, and it is going against a team which, though probably isn't quite as good as 6-1 suggests, is still far superior.
BookMaker opened the spread for this Monday game at -6.5 in favor of the Carolina Panthers. The NFL odds total surfaced at 46. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone or tablet with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today! The game between the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts is scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
