Colts Ravens Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The Baltimore Ravens host the Indianapolis Colts Sunday in Week 14 NFL action. These teams have squared off five times in the last four years, including twice in the playoffs. Peyton Manning has had Baltimore’s number, winning eight straight meetings. That includes a 20-3 home victory in the playoffs during the 2009-10 season in their most recent meeting. There will be no Manning this time around, thus the Ravens are a heavy favorite.

Odds makers in Las Vegas have installed a line of Baltimore -16.5 over Indianapolis with a total set of 41 points.

Baltimore

The Ravens have been playing fabulous football at home all season. Baltimore (9-3, 6-0 home) looks to remain unbeaten on home soil when they welcome the winless Colts to their franchise’s former home town. This team has been prone to letdowns in 2011, losing to the likes of Tennessee, Jacksonville and Seattle. However, all three of those losses came on the road. The Ravens were able to solve their road woes last week with a 24-10 victory at Cleveland.

The final score of their game against the Browns doesn’t really show how lopsided this game really was. Baltimore outgained Cleveland 448-223 for the game, including a season-high 290 rushing yards. Ray Rice rushed for a career-high 204 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. Their defense was dominant despite not having middle linebacker Ray Lewis for a second straight game. They held the Browns to just 59 rushing yards on 17 carries.

Baltimore ranks 15th in the NFL in total offense (345.0 yards/game) and 3rd in total defense (287.3 yards/game). Indy is not a good running team, and they’ll have a very tough time moving the ball against the league’s second-ranked run defense (88.8 yards/game). Lewis will likely miss a third straight game with a toe injury, but he’ll certainly be coaching from the sidelines. Joe Flacco is completing 55.3 percent of his passes for 2,895 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Rice ranks 7th in the NFL in rushing with 926 yards and nine scores. He also has a team-high 56 receptions for 547 yards and two touchdowns.

Indianapolis

The Colts are certainly headed towards getting the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft next April. Indianapolis (0-12, 0-6 away) is running out of chances to avoid a winless season. They play three teams with winning records the next three weeks before closing out their campaign with a road game at Jacksonville. Indy is coming off a 31-24 loss at New England, though that final score is a bit misleading considering this one was a blowout most of the way.

The Patriots jumped out to a 31-3 lead by the end of the third quarter before a frantic rally by the Colts. Indianapolis scored 21 unanswered points in the final period, but saw their chances of completing an improbable comeback put to a halt. Deion Branch recovered an onside kick with 36 seconds to go to preserve the victory for New England. Making the first NFL start of his career, quarterback Dan Orlovsky played well. He completed 30 of 37 passes for 353 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Pierre Garcon continued his surprising season, catching nine balls for 150 yards and two scores.

Indy comes in ranked 29th in the league in total offense (293.1 yards/game) and 28th in total defense (387.1 yards/game). Had this team turned to Orlovsky sooner, they may have had a win under their belts already. He is completing 75.9 percent of his passes for 475 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Colts don’t have a single running back with more than 400 yards rushing, which is a big reason for their offensive woes. Garcon has been the one bright spot, leading the team in receptions (55), receiving yards (805), and touchdowns (6).

Betting Trends

The Colts are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games as an underdog of 10.5 or greater, but just 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games overall.

The Ravens are 49-23-2 ATS in their last 74 games as a home favorite, but only 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.

The Colts are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 meetings with the Ravens.

Put your trust in world-renown handicapper Jack Jones to deliver profits through pro football wagering by signing up for a premium package today.

Comments

Got something to say?