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10* Play Indianapolis -1.5 over San Diego (TOP NFL PLAY) 8:30 PM EST
Indianapolis has won and covered the spread in three consecutive games and they have also covered the spread in 22 of the last 32 games when playing as a road favorite of three points or less. Indianapolis has covered the spread in 8 of the last 10 games after having won three of the last four games and they are only allowing an average of 15 points a game on defense this season.
SEAN HIGGS
Indianapolis Colts vs. San Diego Chargers (NFL) - Oct 14, 2013 8:40 PM EDT
Play: Point Spread: -1.0/-107 Indianapolis Colts Pick Title: Sean's Free Pick
Indianapolis Colts -1 vs San Diego Chargers MNF
Let’s just jump right into this Monday night game everyone.
Here we go with the final game on the board for Week 6 of NFL action. Now, I don’t claim to know everything about anything. But I do know this. I was wrong. For the last year and counting, I was wrong about these Colts. I thought they would struggle last year. And I thought they would hit the proverbial sophomore slump this season. But this team does one thing well. Win. They win at any field they head to. This team traveled to San Fran and beat a pretty good 49ers squad. They could have had a flat spot, look ahead or whatever you want to call it against Jacksonville. They didn’t. They just won 37-3. And then took care of business against another decent NFC West team in the Seattle Seahawks.
Andrew Luck should have been the Rookie of the Year last year. He will win an MVP in his career no doubt about. He has a stud work-horse RB behind him now. Trent Richardson will elevate the play of the offense around him by making defenses respect the run game, thus opening up more passing lanes for WRs Reggie Wayne, TY Hilton and Raider cast-off, the speedy Darius Bay. Let’s not forget about TE Toby Fleener. This offense will be able to move the ball tonight vs San Diego.
Ah, the Phillip Rivers led Chargers. This guy is putting up some very good numbers. I can’t knock him. But I have to say. I did not think SD would be very good this year. These guys should have won the game vs the Texans. Now that would look good on the resume except the Texans have looked terrible vs everyone they have played. They then went on the road, (I had Philly) and rolled it up on the east coast and beat the Eagles. They lost to the Titans, beat Dallas, and just lost to the Raiders. Talk about an up and down team. I think they are going down again here. Too many question marks for me here on the OL and the defense is very leaky to say the least.
My Final Thoughts I think the Colts are the real deal here. I think they will win the AFC South. They have a very good offense. The entire team buys into their coach. The defense bends, but doesn’t break. Maybe it is smoke and mirrors. Whatever it is, it is translating into wins. Heading out west is never easy. But these guys took care of business once and will do it again here. We will back the road team with the better defense and offensive units here. At this price, the play is the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS -1.
My Personal Handicapping Notes for Monday Night Football
•San Diego is 21-3-1 ATS vs AFC South opponents and are 19-6 SU in their last 25 against that division
•The Chargers, historically, have been good on Monday nights. They are 11-2 ATS in non-division games and are 6-0 ATS coming of a loss
•Indy is 0-7 ATS vs San Diego when coming off both a straight up and ATS win
•NFL teams are just 4-16-2 ATS when favored after playing the Seahawks under Pete Carroll
•The Colts are 5-1 in their last 6 Monday night road games
•This is the third long road trip to the west coast in 4 weeks for the Colts. However, they have outscored their opponents 64-10 in their 2 road games this season
•Indy is15-6 SU with Luck and 8-0 ATS against losing opponents
•San Diego has one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They are 22nd in points allowed, giving up over 25 points a game and this unit ranks 28th in total defense, giving up 405 total yards a game
•Colts are fourth in rushing offense, averaging 142 yards a game on the ground. San Diego is 23rd in run defense but 29th in yards per rush, yielding a whopping 4.9 yards per carry. Coach’s Note: This could be the key to the game. If the Colts can stay balanced and pound the ball with Richardson against a beat up defensive front, it opens everything else up for Andrew Luck and company…
•The Colts are converting 50% of their third down situations and only allowing opponents to convert 32.26% of their third downs, 5th best in the NFL
•The Turnover Margin: I think some handicappers don’t put enough stock into turnovers but they are a huge part to winning and covering games. The Colts are third in the NFL in turnover margin at +1.2 a game. San Diego ranks 28th at -1.6 turnovers a game.
•The Chargers have lost a lot of starters on both sides of the ball to injury. They will be without two starting offensive lineman, their two best pass rushers, and their top two wide receivers in this game. They will be without defensive end, Dwight Freeney and team sack leader, Jarrett Johnson. Finally, linebacker, Donald Butler who is tied for the team lead in tackles is out as well.
My Take:
This is a tough one because Indy is the better team but San Diego is in a much better spot. The Chargers are at home, coming off of a loss to Oakland, their division rival, and should be extremely ready to play. Yet, it's not expected to be a very hostile environment as the game sold so few tickets that it was almost blacked out. I also give the coaching advantage and I think Chuck Pagano will find a way to handle the travel situation and have his team ready to play. I get the more stable quarterback, better line on both sides of the ball, and the much better defense. At last, the loss of so many starters for San Diego on both sides of the ball is definitely making me lean Indy in this one. BOL to everyone tonight!
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