The Indianapolis Colts come in off a huge 34-6 road win over the Minnesota Vikings and now are a game out of 1st place in the AFC South. Saturday afternoon they look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they head to Oakland Coliseum to battle the Oakland Raiders, who already have clinched a playoff spot. This contest has a start time of 4:00 pm EST.
Vegas odds have the Raiders listed as 3.5 point favorites, while the total has been set at 53. This contest will be televised on CBS with a start time of 4:00 pm EST.
Breaking Down The Indianapolis Colts
The indianapolis Colts come in off a huge 34-6 road win over the Vikings, to get back to the .500 mark for the year. Tis has been an inconsistent season for them so far, but they are still in the race for a division title and a playoff berth. Right now they are just one game behind both the Titans and Texans and will obviously need this game to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Colts have gone 4-2 on the road this year and the Raiders have been a stronger road team than a home team of late. This is a game that they can win, but they will really need their defense to step up for that to happen. Last week their defense played really well in the win over the Vikings, but that offense is far worse than the one they will face in this game. The Colts come in ranked 27th in total defense, 27th vs the pass, 20th vs the run and 23rd in points allowed, giving up 24.2 ppg. If the defense doesn’t stop the raiders, then they will need a good game from their offense and that may not be all that hard as the Raiders have struggled on defense this year. That Colts offense comes in ranked 11th in total yards, 7th in passing, 19th in rushing and 8th in scoring, putting up 25.9 ppg. This game could very well be a shootout.
Trends: The Colts have gone 15-6 ATS in their last 21 games following a straight up win of more than 14 points and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game, but just 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game. The Over is 17-5 in their last 22 games on grass, while the Under is 18-6 in their last 24 games in December.
Breaking Down The Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders have clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2002 when they went to the Super Bowl. It has been a long climb back for this franchise, which could very well be on the verge of moving to Las vegas. The Raiders have done it this year with offense as derek Carr has had an outstanding season thus far. He has thrown for 3705 yards with 25 TDs and just 6 INTs, while posting a QBR of 95.2, which is 12th in the league. He has a favorite target in Amari Cooper, who is 7th in the league in receiving yards with 1038, while they also have a weapon out of the backfield in Latavius Murray, who has run for 737 yards, despite missing a couple of games. This is one of the best offenses in the league and they come in ranked 6th in total yards, 6th in passing, 6th in rushing and 3rd in scoring, putting up 26.9 ppg. They could have a field day vs a poor colts defense and their offense will need to have a big game as the defense has struggled, especially vs the pass and they will be taking on one of the better QBs in the league in this one. That defense comes in ranked 30th in total yards allowed, 25th against the pass, 25th vs the run and 21st in points allowed, giving up 24.0 ppg.
Trends: The Raiders have gone 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. AFC and 5-2 ATS their last seven games in this series, but just 16-34-1 ATS in their last 51 games in December and 11-25-1 ATS in their last 37 games following a ATS win. The Over is 19-7-1 in their last 27 games following a straight up win, while the Under is 7-3 in their last 10 Saturday games.
We invite you to visit us at https://www.sportswatchmonitor.com. Sports Watch Monitor has documented Sports Handicappers premium picks since 1984! Sports Watch is the oldest and most respected monitor in the Sports Handicapping industry. We have now added the ability for our Top Cappers to sell picks on our platform. Check out our leaderboards to see who’s hot and put yourself on the winning side!
