The Indianapolis Colts are currently on the inside of the AFC playoff picture but could actually win out and still not make the playoffs. The Las Vegas Raiders, meanwhile, are still a winning team under interim head coach Antonio Pierce and have not been officially eliminated from the playoff picture.
So, each team has reason to continue to play hard and try to get a big win this week, but which one has the advantage entering Sunday?
Raiders vs. Colts Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Colts -3.5
- Moneyline: Raiders (+160), Colts (-192)
- Over/Under: 42.5
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
- Channel: CBS
Raiders vs. Colts Prediction
There’s very little question that this is a much different Raiders team since Antonio Pierce took over as their interim coach. Since the coaching change was made, the Raiders have the league’s No. 1 scoring defense, allowing just 15.3 points per game.
Not to mention, Las Vegas has scored a league-best four defensive touchdowns under Pierce, including both of the team’s touchdowns in last week’s win over the Chiefs.
But while the defense has been terrific, it may be masking a problem the Raiders have, and that’s on offense. Yes, they did put up that monster 63 points two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Chargers.
But the two games that were sandwiched around that outburst — Week 14 vs. the Vikings and Week 16 vs. the Chiefs — produced zero offensive touchdowns and slightly more than 200 total yards in each game.
The Colts have been up and down in their performance in recent weeks. The disappointing loss last week to the Falcons came one week after a huge win over the Steelers, and that win over Pittsburgh came one week after a blowout loss to the Bengals.
Having a healthy Jonathan Taylor for a second straight week should help provide some stability on offense. But a consistent performance from quarterback Gardner Minshew II would certainly help matters.
This season, Minshew has nine touchdown passes and three TD runs with only two interceptions in the first half of games, but in the second half, he has four touchdown passes, zero rushing TDs, and seven interceptions.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The Raiders have some injury issues on offense heading into this contest. Tight end Michael Mayer (toe) is out this week, and running back Josh Jacobs (quad), who hasn’t practiced all week, is doubtful.
The Colts will be without running back Zack Moss (forearm) this week, but could get wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion, shoulder) back for Sunday. Pittman has cleared concussion protocol, clearing the way for his possible return to the lineup.
Las Vegas — which is 5-1-1 vs. the spread over its last seven games — played on Christmas, so it has had one fewer day of rest than the Colts. However, this season, the Raiders are an impressive 4-0 vs. the spread when playing a game with a rest disadvantage.
Indianapolis, on the other hand, is just 1-3 ATS when it plays a game with a rest advantage, but the more important betting trend to follow this week is that the Colts are 5-0 vs. the spread as a betting favorite.
The Raiders are certainly a better team now than before they made their coaching change, while the Colts are proving to be another in a long list of inconsistent teams in the NFL this season.
Winning on the road at the end of the year isn’t easy, and I don’t necessarily think the Raiders will go into Indianapolis and win on Sunday, but with the hook in play, I’ll go with the prediction that it will be a field goal game.
Best Bet: Raiders +3.5 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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