What a game the Indianapolis Colts had against the defending Super Bowl champions. The Colts stuck to the New England Patriots for most of the game. But a questionable trick play on fourth down basically handed the win to the Patriots. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints didn’t have any tricks up their sleeves except for a big bad tight end in Benjamin Watson to hand Atlanta its first loss of the year.
Get some of the best interconference matchups in Week 7 of the NFL season. Check out the complete previews for the Browns vs. Rams and Falcons vs. Titans.
[sc:Football ]New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts Preview
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
When: Sunday, October 25, 1:00 PM ET
Line: New Orleans Saints (+5) at Indianapolis Colts (-5); total: 52.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the New Orleans Saints (2-4)
It was a throwback for the ages when the New Orleans Saints beat Atlanta 31-21 on Thursday Night Football. The Saints’ second touchdown of the evening came when Michael Mauti blocked a punt deep in Atlanta territory and brought it to the house for the touchdown. It was a play reminiscent of Steve Gleason’s famous block against the Falcons in 2006. Gleason, paralyzed by ALS, was in attendance of the Saints’ blowout.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Saints were excellent on all three aspects of the game. Special teams scored on Mauti’s fumble return touchdown; the defense forced two fumbles deep in their own territory; and Drew Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown.
Brees relied mostly on 12-year tight end Benjamin Watson, who caught 10 of 12 passes for 127 yards and a score. Watson was pretty tame for much of the season aside from exploding against the Falcons.
Watson’s there to give Brees a safety blanket, but New Orleans wide receivers should be able to get some separation for Brees to torch Indianapolis’ leaky secondary. The Colts have allowed 296.3 yards passing per game this season (27th in the league). They have also allowed the most passing plays of 20-plus yards downfield (27) in the league this season. Willie Snead leads the Saints’ receiving corps with 436 yards receiving and a score. Brandin Cooks isn’t too far behind with 363 yards and a score.
The Saints also have a pretty solid pass rush that could trouble the Colts’ Andrew Luck. Defensive end Cameron Jordan was spectacular in Week 6, sacking Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan three times. He now shares a team-high four sacks with Hau’oli Kikaha.
New Orleans is 1-4 SU/ATS in its last four on the road.
Betting on the Indianapolis Colts (3-3)
What were they thinking? Down by just six points in the third quarter, the Indianapolis Colts decided to make possibly one of the worst fake punts of the history of fake punts in the NFL. Free safety Corey Anderson was all alone under center with wide receiver Griff Allen as the snapper. They faced fourth-and-three on their own 37 with five Patriots in the vicinity and the rest of the punt team lined up all the way to their left.
The ball was snapped and Anderson was tackled for a one-yard loss. New England scored a touchdown on its ensuing possession. The horrible call wasted a pretty solid effort from Andrew Luck, who threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers in a 34-27 loss Sunday night. Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton led the team with six catches for 74 yards and a score, while Donte Moncrief and Whalen also scored touchdowns.
Indianapolis’ running game was also sufficient behind running back Frank Gore. He finished with 78 yards on 13 carries, but had to make way for the passing game after falling behind by two scores after the failed fake punt. Gore should brace for a big game against the Saints. New Orleans has one of the worst rushing defenses in the league, allowing 138.2 yards per game (30th in the NFL).
The defense also had something to be smile about when cornerback Mike Adams caught a bobbled catch by Julian Edelman and returned it for a pick-six in the second quarter. But picking off the Saints’ Drew Brees may be more difficult. Brees has limited his turnovers this season with just three interceptions thus far.
The Colts have won seven of the past 10 games at Lucas Oil Stadium, going 6-3-1 ATS.
Writer’s Prediction
The Colts turn to Frank Gore to expose New Orleans’ weak run defense. Indianapolis wins and covers at home. Create a betting account now and get your heart thumping with exciting NFL action.
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