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New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts NFL Betting Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd on October 31, 2008

When the New England Patriots take on the Indianapolis Colts, the stakes are usually much higher. That doesn’t appear to be the case this time around as neither team has been dominant. Odds makers are giving the home Colts the advantage in this Sunday Night Football affair. The books have listed the Colts as 6-point favorites with the total set at 44.

New England enters this Sunday night matchup in much better shape than Indy with a 5-2 mark and will be looking to win its third straight game. The Colts are just 3-4 and were last seen getting beaten by division rival Tennessee on Monday Night Football last week.

This has arguably been the league’s best rivalry this decade and this matchup will mark the sixth straight regular season meeting between the two perennial AFC powers. It has been the Patriots capturing the bragging rights more times than not as New England has won three of the last five regular season contests.

While it doesn’t appear to be the case this season, the winner of this game is normally of the utmost importance. The winner of this game has gone on to host the AFC Championship game in three of the last five years and represented the AFC in the Super Bowl following four of the last five seasons.

Despite the devastating injury to Tom Brady, New England has managed to claw its way into a tie with Buffalo for the AFC East lead, much to the delight of those who betting NFL futures on the Pats prior to the season.

The Colts don’t have as much to be happy about. It appears that QB Peyton Manning behind schedule after missing the preseason with a staph infection in his left knee. Currently, the five-time defending AFC South champs are four games out of first place.

The Colts have had to rally from fourth-quarter deficits to earn to of its three wins. Its 31-3 blowout of Baltimore in week 6 was the only effort which resembled the Colts team we are used to seeing.

Manning has not looked like one of the best QB’s in the game. He has only 10 touchdown passed against nine interceptions and his 79.0 passer rating and 61.1 completion percentage are both the lowest we have seen from him since his rookie season.

Manning was 26 of 41 last Monday Night with two touchdowns, but he was held to a season low 223 yards passing.

And its not just the offense that is struggling. The defense has trouble putting the ball back in the hands of the offense all night long. The Titans converted on 7 of 13 third downs and controlled the football for better than 34 minutes.

This game won’t be about earning home field advantage in the playoffs, it will be about avoiding a three-game losing streak, something they haven’t suffered since 2002.

Getting running back Joseph Addai, safety Bob Sanders, and cornerback Kelvin Hayden back on the field will certainly help Indy’s chances this week. All could return against the Pats. If you think Indy can get back on track this week, bet the Colts at -6 at BetUS and receive up to a 50% sign up bonus.

It appears the inexperienced Matt Cassel may be finding his touch for the Patriots. He has helped the Pats put 64 points on the board in back-to-back wins. He threw for a career-high 267 yards in last week’s 23-16 win over St. Louis. Most importantly, he came up big in the clutch. He was 4 of 4 with a 15-yard touchdown strike on a critical drive late in the fourth quarter, looking a lot more like Tom Brady than himself.

Cassel has started to build a relationship on the field with both Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Moss only had six grabs for 47 yards in Cassel’s first two starts, but has 12 for 171 yards and two touchdowns the last two weeks.

With running back Laurence Maroney on the injured reserve list and backup Sammie Morris also banged up, even more pressure will be put on Cassel and the passing game to deliver.

Perhaps New England’s biggest obstacle this week will be not giving up big yards through the air with an inexperienced secondary on the field. Safety Rodney Harrison is out for the year, corner Ellis Hobbs injured his shoulder against the Rams, and corner Deltha O’Neal suffered a head injury last week.

New England picked up the bragging rights over the Colts with a 24-20 win at home last November. If you think New England will do it again, bet the Patriots at +6 at BetUS.

Editor’s Note: Jimmy Boyd’s 3* Sunday Night Football SMASH has pegged the winner of this big primetime matchup in his Week 9 Sunday NFL picks package. If you’re looking to beat the NFL odds this Sunday night, you’ve come to the right place.

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