Hoping to extend their undefeated record, the Denver Broncos (7-0) travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts (3-5). Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov 8 and will air on CBS.
In last week’s game, Indianapolis lost in a close one against the Panthers 29-26. Coby Fleener had a good performance in the loss, grabbing seven receptions for 43 yards and one TD. Andre Johnson also had a great game with 81 yards and a TD on four catches. Denver is looking to repeat last week when it defeated the Packers 29-10. Demaryius Thomas had a huge game for the Broncos, pulling in eight receptions for 168 yards. C.J. Anderson had a great game as well, adding 101 yards and a TD on 14 carries.
Denver is a three-point favorite in this game against the Colts. The Over/Under (O/U) line is currently at 45 points for this matchup.
Sitting at 3-5 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Colts will look to improve heading into Week 9. In their five most recent matchups, the Colts went 2-3 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Colts love to throw, ranking fifth in the league with 41.6 passing attempts per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Colts look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. An important aspect of the game will be if the Colts exploit Denver’s weakness to throw interceptions. The Broncos currently lead the league with 1.6 thrown per game. Indianapolis has a formidable special teams unit that averages 102.4 return yards per game, ranking fourth in the NFL.
Shifting to the opposition, the Broncos head into Week 9 with records of 5-1-1 ATS and 7-0 SU. Denver could rely on its passing attack against a defense that allows 280 passing yards per game, ranking 27th in the league. Preparing for Denver’s top-five scoring defense could be challenging for the Colts. So far this year, Denver’s defense on the road has allowed opponents to score an average of 17.2 points. The Denver defense has given opposing running backs trouble this season. Opponents average 88.9 rushing yards per game against this menacing group. The Denver defense will take advantage of every opportunity the Colts give it. The Broncos generate 2.4 turnovers per game, second in the league. The Colts will have to stay focused in the second quarter against Denver. The Broncos finish off the first half in a solid fashion, averaging 9.5 points during the second quarter of road games. In home games, Indianapolis has an average time of possession of 29:08, placing at a rank of 26th in the NFL.
Predictions: SU Winner – Den, ATS Winner – Den, O/U – Under
Notes
Indianapolis is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Indianapolis’s last 15 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indianapolis’s last 6 games.
Indianapolis is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games.
Indianapolis is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indianapolis’s last 6 games at home.
Indianapolis is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indianapolis’s last 10 games when playing Denver.
Indianapolis is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing Denver.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indianapolis’s last 5 games when playing at home against Denver.
Denver is 5-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Indianapolis is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Indianapolis is only 1-4 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Indianapolis has provoked an average of 10.4 penalties on opponents over its last five games. Denver is only 1-2 SU this season when penalized at least 10 times in a game.
Denver is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 26th-ranked rushing attack will face the 28th-ranked run defense of Indianapolis, while its fourth-ranked run defense will look to contain the 24th-ranked rushing game of the Colts.
