The New England Patriots have beaten up their last two foes by the aggregate score of 81-23. Now, they get to face a team which has gotten fat off of its bad division, the Indianapolis Colts, in a prospective playoff battle in the AFC.
WHEN THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HAVE THE BALL
Just go back and look at the offensive numbers the Patriots have put up on the Colts since 2009. They're truly impressive. Over the course of seven games, New England has averaged 40.7 points per game and 422 yards per game against this much-maligned Indianapolis defense, one which really has never had a chance against Tom Brady and the crew.
Sure, one could suggest that some of that has to do with deflated footballs, but with 1,387 yards and 11 TDs without a pick, Brady has been alright in 2015 with the NFL watching his every move.
As it happens to be though, the Patriots have really killed the Colts on the ground. Last year alone in two games, New England rushed for seven touchdowns, including using Jonas Gray for four scores in the primetime game these two played in the regular season. Whether that means LeGarrette Blount or Dion Lewis or goodness knows who else ultimately runs for 100 yards or not is to be seen, but live bettors should be aware of the fact that the Patriots have had someone rush for at least 148 yards in three straight games against Indy.
WHEN THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS HAVE THE BALL
Would you believe the Indianapolis offense is averaging just 5.4 yards per play this year? Or that it hasn't had a single play cover 50+ yards on the season? Or that Andrew Luck has the worst quarterback rating in the NFL?
Luck just hasn't had it this year, and a shoulder problem might ultimately be why. That shoulder kept the Stanford product out for two straight games. By all accounts, he should be back in the saddle this week against New England, but if there is even the slightest bit wrong with that throwing shoulder, he can expect the Patriots to take advantage of it.
Luck has had no luck against New England in his career, the worst moment of which was when he walked out of Gillette Stadium last year in the AFC Championship Game having led the offense to one score with two picks and barely 200 total yards of offense.
TREND TO TRACK
It's well-documented that the Colts have beaten up on the AFC South over the years and haven't played that well against the rest of the NFL. Go back and look at the raw stats, though. This year alone, Indy is 0-2 SU and ATS in non-divisional games. Last year, it went just 5-5 ATS in games outside of the AFC South, and two of those covers came against dreadful NFC East teams.
The bottom line is that the better the competition, the worse Luck seems to do, and that's highlight the most by these struggles with New England. It's not a mistake that the Pats are 4-0 SU and ATS against Luck, and the average final score comes in at 47-18. Even if this game starts to get a little ugly, New England has a lot to prove, and Brady wants to prove that he can throw properly inflated footballs, and that could certainly give the visitors all the reason in the world to run up the score as much as possible.
The NFL betting lines and props for this Sunday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The New England Patriots were lined at -7 alongside a total of 54.5. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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