AFC Championship Game – Jets vs. Colts
The Colts are the teacher who in the first few months of school lets the students do whatever they want. The kids then take complete control of the class, and in November when the teacher realizes (s)he needs to put the hammer down, it’s damn near impossible.
LOOKING FOR THE BEST NFL CAPPERS ON THE INTERNET + NFL PICKS? CLICK HERE —–>
Jets vs. Colts
Time: Sunday 3:00 ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
MoneyLine: Jets +280 (-110) / Colts -350 (-110)
Spread: Colts -7.5
Over/Under: 39
Bill Polian, Jim Caldwell and the Colts management created the problem by laying down in Week 16, opting for rest for its key players rather than the opportunity to finish the regular season undefeated, and now that problem has turned into a big-time Excedrin headache and makes an unexpected second visit to flyover country this Sunday to write another chapter in one of the most fascinating stories of the NFL season.
Can the Jets possible go on the road and win a playoff game for the third straight time, this one against the team favored to win the Super Bowl? Every ounce of common sense says no:
- *** They have a rookie quarterback.
- *** They are erratic enough to have lost six times in seven games this season.
- *** During the season they lost their best defensive player (Kris Jenkins) and one of the top offensive threats in the league (Leon Washington) to injury.
- *** So deflated were they after a Week 15 home loss to Atlanta that coach Rex Ryan openly stated that the team would not make the playoffs.
The last month, though, has been all about defying odds, and one computer projection in late December ran the numbers and gave New York one chance in a hundred of even getting to the playoffs. But that was before Indy in Week 16 and then Cincinnati in Week 17 rolled over. It was like the Romans laying down a red carpet for the Visigoths.
Suddenly Peyton Manning has to deal with the No. 1 defensive team during the regular season, a defense that held opposing quarterbacks to an average 56.8 rating, a team that allowed only 14.8 points a game, was impossible to run against and has the best cornerback in the league in Darrelle Revis.
That Jets victory in Indianapolis not only opened the playoff door to the Jets – it gave the big city bullies confidence that they can return to the heartland and do it again. Doubters love to point out that Indy gave the game to New York on a platter by pulling Peyton Manning; the Jets can counter by saying that midway through the third period Manning was still in the game, and the Jets had a 10-9 lead.
New York’s strategy will probably revolve around doing everything under the dome to limit Manning’s damage, and force Indianapolis to use its pee-poor running game to win. And if Donald Brown and Joseph Addai do some damage early, make some adjustments.
Oddsmakers like Indianapolis by 7.5, with an O/U of 39, but the line is the last thing the Colts are thinking about as they prepare to take on the team that they themselves created less than a month ago.
Pick: Colts
Comment on this game below, hit us with your pregame NFL picks and predictions…
Grab yourself a 50% SIGN UP BONUS today at Sportsbook.com Sportsbook! (Plus you grab yourself a $25 Free Bet!!!) – CLICK HERE NOW!
Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel expert from Massachusetts.
