Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos
Betting Line: Broncos -5.5 o/u 48
9/24/10
By
John J. Raspanti
This could be a fun Game. The Broncos and Colts are both 1-1 and coming off impressive victories. Denver dismantled Seattle 31-14 while the Colts dominated the Giants 38-14. The Broncos offense was rolling last weekend. In an impressive performance, Quarterback Kyle Orton completed 25 of 35 passes for 307 yards and 2 td’s. Running back Knowshon Moreno GAined only 51 yards on 24 carries, but caught 4 passes for 67 yards. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas caught 8 passes for 97 yards and a score, while teammate Eddie Royal grabbed 5 balls for 65 yards. Safety Brian Dawkins led the team with 6 tackles plus 2 assists, as the defense played sound football.
Defense wasn’t on the mind of the Colts during there thrashing of the Giants, though that unit played well. Offensively the Colts did what they wanted, GAining 160 yards on the ground and 255 yards through the air. Running back Joseph Addai picked up 92 of those yards with some nice and decisive running. Quarterback Payton Manning picked apart the Giants secondary with pinpoint passes, completing 20 of 26 passes and 3 td’s. Wide receiver Reggie Wayne caught 7 passes for 96 yards and a score, while consistent tight end Dallas Clark hauled in 5 passes for 83 big ones. The Colts kept the clamps on the Giants all night.
This Game is in Denver where the Broncos usually play very well. Injuries could play a key here, Denver cornerback Champ Bailey is hurting and questionable for Sundays Game while sack king Elvis Dumervil is out for the season. The defense has just two sacks so far this season. The Broncos cannot allow Payton Manning to sit in the pocket and survey the field, that’s asking for big trouble…or more likely big scores. They must be able to run the ball and keep Payton and his offense off the field. So far though running the ball has not been very effective for the Broncos.
We also have the tragedy that struck this Broncos team this week with the suicide of Kenny Mckinley. Tough to predict how something like that is going to affect a team. They could rally together, or they could be disinterested in the Game.
We’re going to make this play strictly based on what the betting public has done thus far. Services such as SportsOptions have more than just live odds. One of the features is betting percentages from offshore books and these percentages can be a fantastic handicapping tool. In this Game, we have 81% of the betting action coming in on the Colts, and yet, the line nudged ever so slightly in the other direction. A good indication that it’s square money coming in on the Colts. We’ll take the Broncos +5.5