The Indianapolis Colts‘ first win of the season last week came at a price, as both their rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson and starting center Ryan Kelly are out with concussions. Will the Baltimore Ravens take advantage? Check out the betting odds for Sunday’s matchup.
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Colts vs. Ravens Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Ravens -8
- Moneyline: Colts (+310); Ravens (-395)
- Over/Under: 43.5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium
- Channel: CBS
Game Prediction
What was already going to be a difficult task for the Colts became much more challenging with the news of Richardson’s and Kelly’s statuses for Sunday’s game. Not to be outdone on the injury storyline, though, the Ravens will be without seven starters for this contest, including four on offense.
However, the Ravens still have Lamar Jackson, and that is usually enough. After looking less than impressive in their season-opening win over the Texans at home, the Ravens made an early statement last week against AFC North rival Cincinnati, pulling out a tight win on the road to stay unbeaten.
Jackson was sharp against the Bengals, with 237 yards passing, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was also not sacked in the game after Houston got him four times in the opener.
The return of tight end Mark Andrews paid off for Jackson and the Ravens, as he caught a TD pass in his first game after missing the season opener with an injury. And even with the injuries, the Ravens still have WR Nelson Agholor and RB Gus Edwards, each of whom scored a touchdown last week.
The Colts defense has been one of the league’s worst thus far, ranking 25th in total defense (365.5 YPG allowed). The biggest problem has been in the passing game, where Indianapolis is allowing 287.0 passing yards per game (29th).
In last week’s loss to the Texans, Houston rookie QB C.J. Stroud threw for 384 yards (although, in fairness to the Colts, much of that yardage came while Indianapolis was comfortably in the lead).
So, without Richardson, the offense falls on backup QB Gardner Minshew, who was solid coming off the bench last week. Minshew completed 19 of 23 passes for 171 yards and a score. He will have to deal with a Ravens defense that has held each of their first two opponents under 300 total yards and is allowing just 16.5 PPG in 2023.
Yes, this appears to be a mismatch on paper. The loss of your starting quarterback and center usually spells disaster for a team. But Minshew is a more than capable replacement for Richardson, and he showed that he can still move an offense last week.
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While it’s hardly outlandish to say that Baltimore should win this game, the loss of seven starters due to injuries is a lot to deal with for any team.
It may be foolish thinking on my part (wouldn’t be the first time), but I’m expecting the game to be a little closer than most think.
Best Bet: Colts +8 points (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)