We are going to have to wait at least one more week before seeing Andrew Luck make his 2017 debut. Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano announced that Luck would not be playing in the team’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. In his stead, Scott Tolzien will get the start. Tolzien got his first start since 2013 against Pittsburgh last season with Luck banged up, but didn’t perform well there. He does know how to perform in preseason though and is the veteran of the quarterbacks with Luck still rehabbing from offseason surgery.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Sunday, August 13, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on NFL Network.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Detroit Lions PK
Indianapolis Colts PK
Over/Under 37.5
Odds Analysis
Pagano has one of the worst preseason records of any coach in the NFL. He is 7-13 over five seasons and has yet to post a winning record. Last season, the Colts kept it close under Pagano in preseason. They won their first game 19-18 and then lost the second game 19-18. They also won a 13-10 game against Cincinnati in the preseason finale.
Jim Caldwell is 10-14 in the preseason, but has posted a much better record with the Lions than he did with the Colts. Caldwell was 2-10 in the preseason with the Colts and is 8-4 so far with the Lions. His Lions bucked the trend of teasers being the way to go in preseason though with every game being decided by at least 13 points in 2016. Interesting, considering they were known for all the close games they played in the regular season.
These teams met in the regular season opener last year and it was a wild affair. Luck and Matt Stafford took turns torching the other team’s defense. However, the Lions prevailed after Stafford led the team down the field for a game-winning field goal with four seconds left after Luck had connected with Jack Doyle to put the Colts up by one just 33 seconds beforehand.
Key Injuries
Pagano has said that he expects every player that isn’t banged up to see some action against the Lions, but he almost has to considering how many injuries this team has suffered. While none have been too severe so far, 10 players that are expected to make the roster all missed practice on Tuesday.
Luck is the most important one, but there are others that the team is missing. Most notably, the Colts are without their second and third receivers as Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett are both nursing injuries.
The good news is that this gives the youngsters a chance to make some waves. Not having those players taking snaps with the first team means every other receiver should see more action.
Player to Watch
The Lions are crossing their fingers that Ameer Abdullah can remain healthy this season. Abdullah continues to say the right things and has looked good in training camp, but Caldwell and his staff are going to tread carefully with him considering his recent injury history.
He has been sidelined for considerable amounts of time the last two seasons with a torn labrum in his shoulder and a Lisfranc injury. The Lisfranc injury is especially concerning because players traditionally struggle to stay healthy following that.
Detroit needs him to stay healthy. He was great in the game and a half of action he saw last season and the running game really struggled to find consistency with anyone else. Abdullah should see some carries in this game, but not many.
Free ATS Pick
The preseason records make this one look obvious. While Caldwell has been solid in the preseason with the Lions, Pagano has been anything but.
However, Indianapolis has more reason to give maximum effort in this one with all the injuries opening up playing time and potential roster spots. Look for the Colts to jump on the Lions early and hold on for the win.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Colts 24, Lions 13
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