By: David Lawrence
They have discovered what it's like to win – all while their opponent is psychologically vulnerable this upcoming weekend. The Browns received high-impact plays from their defense in this past Sunday's win over Cincinnati. Cleveland confused Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton throughout the afternoon and displayed a level of energy that had not been matched in previous weeks. The breakthrough offers the Browns an ideal template for how they must attack the Colts – especially their offense – this weekend in Indianapolis.
The Colts looked great two weeks ago when they stunned the Packers, but then they gave back that momentum in a blowout loss to the Jets last week. Bovada lists them as a three-point favorite on for Sunday’s contest with the Browns, but which Colts team will show up?
NFL odds makers currently list the Colts as -3 favorites. The total is stuck at 45.
The Browns can win because…
They have discovered what it's like to win – all while their opponent is psychologically vulnerable this upcoming weekend. The Browns received high-impact plays from their defense in this past Sunday's win over Cincinnati. Cleveland confused Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton throughout the afternoon and displayed a level of energy that had not been matched in previous weeks. The breakthrough offers the Browns an ideal template for how they must attack the Colts – especially their offense – this weekend in Indianapolis.
If Cleveland can use this level of disguise and agility on defense against the Colts, it can baffle and outmaneuver Andrew Luck. It's certainly true that Luck is not your typical rookie signal caller, but he is still prone to let-downs and wild fluctuations in performance, as shown in his pitiful performance against the Jets. Luck does seem destined for stardom, but right now, he's an inconsistent rookie.
On top of that, the Browns offense is playing with lots of confidence these days. Rookies Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson are making plays, and the Browns have been producing points. They’ve scored 61 in the last two weeks and they should be able to get at least three touchdowns against a weak Colts defense.
The Colts can win because…
Their loss to the Jets should not be seen as an indicator of how they'll play every week. That 26-point loss on the road, made possible by a meager nine-point showing on offense, was foreseeable because the Jets were playing the third game of a very rare three-game home stand.
The Jets were able to regroup and get themselves properly motivated and prepared for the Colts. The Jets also figured to win that game because their previous two losses occurred against the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans. Those two teams are Super Bowl contenders, so in comparison to the 49ers and Texans, the Colts didn't have as much heft or quality. They did not match up well with the Jets. Again, the loss was bad, but the situation simply didn't set up very well for the Colts at all.
This game, on the other hand, shapes up pretty well for Indianapolis. The Colts will want to wipe away the bad taste of that loss to the Jets. They'll be very motivated. Moreover, Cleveland is coming off a home-field win. The Browns are going to find it very hard to win two straight games at any point this season. The odds point to the Colts. The laws of averages get defied on some occasions, but not most of the time.
Indy has been very different at home versus on the road. They’re 2-1 at home and Luck has thrown six touchdowns, two interceptions and posted a quarterback rating of 85.4. On the road, the Colts are 0-2 and Luck has compiled a quarterback rating of 52.1 while throwing one touchdown and five picks. Home-field advantage will be the difference.
Outlook & NFL Football Betting Prediction:
The verdict here is a simple one: Indianapolis will regain focus as opposed to losing heart. The Colts will bounce back and they'll feel quite comfortable playing on their home field against a subpar opponent.
NFL Football Picks: Colts +++
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