Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots NFL Preview and Odds
This is a game that will be a must-watch game. It has everything you want. It has two high profile starting quarterbacks in the Colts' super rookie Andrew Luck and the Patriots' future Hall of Famer Tom Brady. It has two teams with identical 6-3 records. It has playoff implications. And it has two franchises with a history of great games between the two.
History
These two teams have played in several big games in recent years featuring Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. He two met in the post season three times, including two AFC Championship Games in the '00s with each team winning one. The Patriots lead all time 46-29. They met twice a year for over 30 seasons when the two teams were both in the AFC East. In November of 2007, both teams came into the game unbeaten. The Patriots won a thriller 24-20.
The Colts have been red hot. They have won four in a row after losing 35-9 to a sorry New York Jets team, two weeks after becoming the only team this year to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars. They were 2-3 with a rookie quarterback although with an impressive comeback win over the Green Bay Packers but nobody would have predicted this. But now, the pressure is on. They are fighting for playoff positioning and they are not going to sneak up on the Patriots.
Andrew Luck has been great, not for a rookie quarterback, but for any quarterback. An argument could be made that Luck should be the MVP. But this is where it gets tough. You're going against a team who has played in these games many times. Tom Brady wins these games all the time.
The Patriots may not have the best defense in football. But Brady and the Pats know how to win these type games. The Pats offense is still among the best in the game. They've had game where they scored at least 30 points six times and had 29 in another. The pats have beaten Denver, and a bunch of creampuffs. But they lost to the 7-2 Baltimore Ravens by one point and the 5-4 Seattle Seahawks by one point. They also lost by two to the Arizona Cardinals by two points. So an extra field goal in those three games and these Pats are unbeaten.
Our Pick
The Patriots are a heavy favorite on Pinnacle at -9.5 2.040 or 1.247. The Colts are +9.5 1.885 or 4.500.
That spread seems a bit steep. But with the Colts being inexperienced in these type games, it's understandable. But we think Andrew Luck has shown great poise and maturity this season and we think they can stay close to the Patriots. The Pats only beat the Buffalo Bills by six last week and could easily have lost. 9.5 is a lot of points.
We like the Colts +9.5. Over/under is 53. Take the over. Bet heavy on the over.
