The Oakland Raiders have been a big letdown so far this season. They are now priced +5,000 to win the AFC West division after being one of the most hyped team prior to the season. But they can give their fans something to cheer about if they could beat the visiting Indianapolis Colts this Sunday. The Colts are +1,600 to be this season’s AFC South champions.
The Colts finally ended their four-game winless drought, as clipped the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, 37-5. Andrew Luck didn’t have a dizzying yards output with just 156 passing yards, but he had four touchdowns and zero interceptions. He wasn’t sacked, too, for the second game in row. The Colts’ offensive line has seemingly done a better job of protecting their franchise quarterback, but Luck’s safety can also be attributed to opponents being more wary of the Colts’ run game. The Colts are only 22nd this season with 102.7 rushing yards per game, but they have averaged 143.7 over their last three games. Running back Marlon Mack’s return from a hamstring injury has done wonders for the Colts’ offense, as he’s injected life to the team’s backfield. Against the Bills, Mack rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown. Don’t be surprised to see the Colts run circles around Oakland’s rotten defense that’s allowed 147.3 rushing yards in its last three outings.
The Colts are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games.
Betting on the Oakland Raiders (1-5)
The Raiders are looking like they’re on the verge of implosion. If not, they seem to have tapped out of this season. Head coach Jon Gruden and the team’s front office have been dealing key players away this season, with the latest being former first-round pick Amari Cooper, who’s now a Dallas Cowboy. Without Cooper, wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Jordy Nelson should see increased workloads downfield. Another personnel issue the Raiders will have to deal with is the placement of running back Marshawn Lynch on the injured reserve. With Lynch probably having played his last game as a Raider – and perhaps of his NFL career – Oakland will likely turn to Doug Martin as the team’s new starting running back, though, how much of an impact Muscle Hamster will have on the field is highly susceptible at this point. The Colts do not have a scary good defense, so Derek Carr should be able to find ways to slice through it, but he’s going to need better protection. He was sacked six times for a loss of 36 yards in Week 7’s disappointing 27-3 loss in London to the Seattle Seahawks.
The under is 4-1 in the Raiders’ last five home games.
