Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins


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Two 3-2 teams square off on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in Week 6. The Washington Redskins host the Indianapolis Colts, two squads coming off hard-fought victories last week. The odds give the slight edge to the road team, listing the Colts -3 over the Redskins with a total set of 44 points.

Washington enters this game with the NFL’s worst defense, allowing 410.2 total yards per game. Yet they still keep finding ways to win, but the Redskins will be tested against a Colts offense that ranked third in the league at 401.6 total yards per game. Peyton Manning is tied for the NFL lead with 11 touchdown passes and his 1,609 passing yards ranks third in the league.

Once again, Manning’s favorite target has been Reggie Wayne who is quietly having another monster year. Wayne’s 531 receiving yards is second in the league, and he’s averaging 106.2 yards per game which ranked third in the NFL. Indy will need to find a way to get their ground game going, as they sit at 28th in the league at 79.8 rushing yards per game. To make matters worse, both Joseph Addai and Donald Brown are dealing with injuries and their status is in question.

Mike Hart replaced Addai when he left the game in the Colts 19-9 win over Kansas City last week. The third-stringer rushed 11 times for 50 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown on an 11-yard run to put the game away. The Redskins are also battling their own injuries, with Clinton Portis out another month with a groin injury. Ryan Torain was supposed to be the answer, but he rushed for just 40 yards on 16 carries in a 16-13 overtime win against the Packers last week. Torain may be able to get on track against a Colts defense that ranked 29th in the NFL against the run.

Washington’s defense is one that has certainly played bend but don’t break. The Packers racked up 427 total yards on them last week, yet still managed to score just 13 points. All three of the Redskins wins have come right down to the wire. LaRon Landry intercepted Aaron Rodgers in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal from Graham Gano. The have eight takeaways to just four turnovers, and it’s clear that Mike Shanahan’s preaching of ball security has paid major dividends. The Redskins have given up just one touchdown in each of their three wins this season.

“That’s been the ongoing saga for years with offenses and defenses,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “Is it total offense, or is it points scored? Total defense, or points given up? Then you get to turnover ratio. Honestly, if you look over the years, that’s probably the biggest factor.” Washington will certainly need to win the turnover battle and hold Manning and company to field goals if they are to have any shot of beating the Colts this week.

BetUS Projected Score: Colts 24 – Redskins 21

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