After winning their first game of the season the Raiders have lost two in a row and travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts this Sunday where they are seven-point underdogs with a total of 45.
The Colts are just the opposite of the Raiders in that they lost their first game but have won their last two. They have been led by a ground game that ranks 6th in the league in rushing yards per game.
After scoring 24 points in their season opener the Raiders have totaled 24 points in their last two games.
These teams met last season in Oakland where the Colts beat the Raiders 42-28.
The Raiders failed to cover in last season’s home game against the Colts and they are only 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games.
Defending the Run Helps
In their last game the Raiders lost to the Minnesota Vikings 34-14 where they gave up 211 rushing yards. That has to be a major concern for the team considering they face one of the better rushing offenses in the league this Sunday in the Colts.
Oakland only had 302 total yards in the game and had the game’s only turnover.
Derek Carr was 27/34 for 242 yards with a TD and a pick in the loss to the Vikings and Darren Waller had 134 receiving yards while no other player had more than 36.
Rookie RB Josh Jacobs led the Raiders with 44 yards after rushing for at least 85 yards in his first two games.
Oakland’s offense has looked stale in the last couple of games and they rank 3rd to last only averaging 16 ppg. Carr has not been bad but has not been good either and he needs helps from Jacobs in this game. It seems the Raiders simply do not have an identity, and will they find one in the Nation’s Heartland facing a hot Colts team?
Brissett Hot at the Start
The Colts won their 2nd in a row in their last game beating the Atlanta Falcons 27-24 and they got a hot start from Jacoby Brissettt. He completed his first 16 passes and the Colts outscored the Falcons 20-3 in the first half.
Brissett passed for 310 yards with two TD and four players had at least 46 receiving yards led by T.Y. Hilton with 65 yards and he had a TD.
Marlon Mack led the Colts with 74 of their 79 rushing yards averaging 4.6 yards per carry after averaging 2.6 yards per carry in his previous game. Mack will get a heavy workload in this game facing an Oakland run defense that was torched last week in the bad loss to the Vikings.
This is the type of game the Colts need to win with their next two games facing the Chiefs at home and AFC South for the Texans at home.
Our Prediction
The Colts win over the Falcons last week was their first home game and the Raiders have failed to cover the spread in their last four road games facing a team with a winning home record.
The Colts have been quietly solid on the season so far and while they are not flashy, they have been getting it done. The same cannot be said about the Raiders, who seem to be destined for another long season in their last one in Oakland. The Colts will run the ball early and often, Brissett will have a good game, and the Raiders’ offense will continue to struggle. Add all of those things up and you get an easy Colts win and they will cover.
PICK: Colts -5