The Indianapolis Colts captured their 2nd straight victory last weekend with a 41-21 thumping over the Detroit Lions. Quarterback Phillip Rivers played well with 262 passing yards and three touchdowns. The Colts surprisingly leaned on running back Jordan Wilkins, rather than Jonathan Taylor, and produced multiple rushing touchdowns in one of the season’s best all-around offensive performances. At 5-2 SU, the Colts are now tied with the Titans for 1st place in the AFC South. So far this season, the Colts schedule has been relatively manageable, having only faced two teams with a winning record, which has led many to speculate if the Colts are as strong as the record indicates. On Sunday, the speculation should come to fruition when the Colts host the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered their 2nd defeat of the season last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens were hoping to hand the Steelers their first loss of the season. However, quarterback Lamar Jackson struggled significantly, throwing a pick-six, forcing bad throws under duress, and the Ravens coughed up four turnovers to ignite the stagnate Steelers offense. Considered one of the AFC’s best teams and undeniably one of the best offenses in the NFL, the Ravens will be expected to bounce back this weekend in a seemingly obvious rebound spot. However, should we trust the Ravens in their rebound efforts against one of the NFL’s best defenses?
Ravens vs. Colts Betting Analysis
I find this Week 9 match-up between the Ravens and Colts among the most intriguing pairings in the league. QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens elite RPO schemes will line-up against the NFL’s top defense in Indianapolis. Technically, the Colts rank 3rd in total defense, allowing just 293 yards per game, but they are consistently in the top 5 in nearly every major defensive category. Most importantly for this match-up is the Colts 2nd ranked rushing defense yielding a mere 79 yards per game. The Ravens lead the NFL in rushing offense averaging a lucrative 178 yards per game. Everyone knows Lamar Jackson is one of the NFL’s most elusive running threats, but the entire Ravens offense is based around the run-pass-option (RPO) that uses multiple running backs (Gus Edwards and J.K Dobbins).
The Ravens use their elite rushing options to open up passing opportunities down the field. The question for this week’s game is will the Colts top-notch run defense stymie their game plan. If I am being honest, Lamar Jackson looked really bad throwing the football last week. Under constant pressure from the Steelers pass rush, Jackson made poor decisions, which led to costly turnovers. If the Colts can stymie the running attack, they have a legitimate pass rush they could put Jackson in similar scenarios. Now, I would expect Jackson to be better this week purely on performance, but I don’t expect the match-up will make things easy either!
On the other side of the ball, we have very similar concerns. Despite a solid outing last week, Colts QB Phillip Rivers is prone to turnovers, especially when under pressure. The Colts have done a good job of putting focus on their successful running attack. Both tailbacks Jonathan Taylor and Jordan Wilkins are capable of carrying heavy workloads, and pass-catching tailback Nyheim Hines has proven playmaking ability. With all that being said, the Ravens have a solid defense and have stood strong against the run in high-quality match-ups. If they can stymie the run and put Phillip Rivers in stressful situations, the Ravens will have a great opportunity to get the job done. Ironically both defenses paths to victory involve stopping their opponents run game, and the defense that gets the job done; will likely be on the winning side.
- Get more details: Baltimore at Indianapolis Week 9 Match-up Stats
Ravens vs. Colts Betting Trends
- Baltimore is 12-5-1 ATS in the last 18 games.
- Baltimore is 17-3 SU in the last 20 games.
- Baltimore is 9-0 SU in the last nine road games.
- Indianapolis is 4-2 ATS in the last six games.
- Indianapolis is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against Baltimore.
- The “under” has hit in the last seven meetings between Baltimore and Indianapolis.
