Indianapolis Colts (1-1, 1-1 ATS) vs. Denver Broncos (1-1, 1-1 ATS), Week 3 NFL Football, Investco Field at Mile High, (Natural Grass) Denver Colorado, Sunday, September 26th, 2010, 4:15 PM Eastern
By Jeff Hochman of JHSportsline.com
Betting Odds: Ind -6/Den +6
Over/Under Total: 48
Make Denver a +26 point underdog by placing them in a fat 20 point NFL teaser at 5Dimes.
The Indianapolis Colts travel to the Mile High city for a week three match-up with the Denver Broncos. When this game is over one of these teams will be 2-1 and feeling good, while the other team will be 1-2 and down in the dumps.
On Sunday night football, Peyton Manning and company had little trouble with his younger brother Eli, and the rest of the New York Giants. They won 38-14, easily covering the 4-point spread. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis feasted on the Giants’ troubled offensive line. They each had two sacks and were constantly harassing the Giants’ backfield. Peyton was solid, if not spectacular with 255 passing yards and three touchdowns. Joseph Addi and Donald Brown combined to rush for 161 yards, providing the Colts with a solid one-two punch.
The Broncos picked up its first win of the young season with a 31-14 convincing victory over Seattle as 3.5-point chalk. Denver snapped a five-game losing streak that dated back to end of last season. The Sold-out Crowd at Investco Field saw the Broncos win their home opener for the 10th straight season. Denver is 23-3-1 all time in home openers.
Defense was the name of the game for Denver. They forced four turnovers and limited the Seahawks to a minuscule 22 1/2 minutes of possession time. Matt Hasselbeck threw three interceptions and looked completely lost. But that wasn’t the big story from the game. Broncos first-round pick Demaryius Thomas had eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in his first career game, which is a Denver rookierecord.
The Colts have won and covered three straight games vs. Denver. Last season, the Colts won 28-16 as 6.5-point favorites despite getting out-gained on the football field 357-312. What ever happened to the Broncos home field advantage! It’s been a road team party as the Broncos are 9-21-1 against-the-spread in their last 31 home games. The Over is a perfect 7-0 when these two teams are matched-up since 2004.
Indianapolis has scored 62 points in their first two games of the season and will now play a road game. The Broncos are very good at defending the pass so far this season and that matches-up well against the Colts’ passing attack. They are allowing only 197.5 passing yards thanks in part to lock-down cornerback Champ Baily. The Colts passing offense has not been as crisp on the road as it has been at home over the last two seasons. The Broncos will spread the Colts’ defense and look to exploit a secondary that is missing All-Pro, Bob Sanders.
Weather could be a factor as the early forecast calls for 50% chance of rain. Keep checking the forecast as this game draws closer.
Jeff’s Pick to Cover the Spread: Denver Broncos +6.
It’s always scary to bet against Peyton Manning but this could be the right spot. He is 7-2straight-up and against-the-spreadand vs. Denver his career.Manning is coming off the Sunday Night game against his younger brother, where he looked really focused. Could be a bit of a letdown spot here.Kyle Orton is under-rated at the quarterback position and the Colts’ offensive line still has some holes in it. The Broncos are 11-1 against-the-spread as non-division home underdogs when getting three or more points. I believe this game will be a lot closer than most people think.
