In real life a Colt might outrun a Bronco, but in online football betting Denver is the favorite over Indianapolis in the equine showdown scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 18th at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Here are the online NFL betting odds for this equestrian match-up:
Colts +6 (-110) 46 (-110) +215
Broncos -6 (-110) 46 (-110) -265
The Broncos retained bragging rights over the Carolina Panthers in week 1, defeating Cam Newton and Co. 21-20. Denver QB Trevor Siemian, heir to Peyton Manning’s starting spot, went 18 of 26 for 178 passing yards, one TD and two interceptions. Von Miller brought back some bad memories for Newton when he swept past tackled Mike Remmers and sacked the Panthers QB. Carolina took a 17-7 led into the fourth quarter, but Siemian connected with RB C.J. Anderson with a 25-yarder for a TD on the next snap. Broncos CB Chris ‘Wildcat’ Harris was called for illegal use of the hands – better stop that or you’ll go blind – but redeemed himself with an interception that at the Panthers’ 23 resulted in Denver’s go-ahead score ten plays later. That may not have happened chronologically.
For the Colts, QB Andrew Luck almost pulled off an 18 point comeback when he threw a 6-yard TD pass to Jack Doyle with 37 seconds remaining, after Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater missed a field goal. Adam Vinatieri’s extra point gave Indianapolis a 35-34 lead. However, the Colts’ defense didn’t have the wherewithal to forestall the Lions’ advances, and when Prater had a second chance he made sure the kick was good. Additionally, the Colts were called for a safety on the final play of the game, for throwing an illegal forward pass in its end zone. “We made a lot of plays, and we just ran out of gas (on defense),” Indy head coach Chuck Pagano said.
The Colts have started 0-2 the past two seasons, which is not a good sign for the online football betting chances. On the other hand, Indy has won three of the last four games versus Denver (the Colts and Broncos have met four times in the last four seasons, though they are in different divisions), including a 27-24 win in their most recent encounter on November 8th, 2015 – a date which will live in infamy as far as Indy online football betting fans are concerned. Lest we forget, two days after that game Luck was hospitalized with a lacerated kidney and an abdominal injury that caused him to miss the final seven games of the season.
As we saw above, though, Luck is back in form. That is to say, it’s business as usual with the Colts, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Indy still can’t run the ovoid effectively or rush the passer, and several players are struggling with injuries. For instance, CB Patrick Robinson and free safety T.J. Green might not be available on Sunday, putting more holes on defense. And while it’s now the Broncos that are without a future Hall of Fame QB, Denver still has a monolithic defense including Miller and fellow outside LB DeMarcus ‘Be’ Ware.
