Sunday Night NFL Betting – Manning Bowl II
The Indianapolis Colts were the victims of a statement game in Week 1 as the Houston Texans ran them over. Now it’s their turn to make the statement as they find themselves facing an important, must-win contest as everyone else in the AFC South already has a win.
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The brothers Manning will match wits this week but the Colts should look more like themselves and get the win.
New York Giants @ Indianapolis Colts
Odds: Giants +5.5, Colts -5.5
Total: 48
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How Can New York Win?
The Houston Texans showed the league a pretty good game plan: run the ball, keep it away from Peyton Manning and pressure him when he does have a chance to throw.
For this to work, the Giants have to be more efficient on the ground than they were last week. Against the Panthers, the Giants picked up 120 rushing yards but it took them 32 carries to do so (3.75 yards per carry).
The Texans were successful at pressure Peyton Manning last week and the Giants must do the same. The Texans only sacked Manning twice but they knocked him down 10 times, which is ideal for anyone trying to slow him down.
The Giants might catch a break with two key injuries that will help them execute the aforementioned game plan.
Safety Bob Sanders, who is one of the best run-stopping safeties in the NFL, is out for this contest while left tackle Charlie Johnson has a foot injury that is limiting his mobility. Both injuries should help the Giants in Week 2.
Speaking of Week 2, the odd stat of the week: the Giants have won seven Week 2 road games since 2000.
How Can Indianapolis Win?
Protect Peyton Manning.
How many times in Manning’s entire career have you seen him roughed up and constantly under pressure like he was in Week 1? Very rarely.
It is a new offense and there is a new offensive coordinator, so it could be a sign of a change. But what’s closer to the reality is the fact that the Colts were outmanned in Week 1 and they will make adjustments for Week 2.
Manning has an excellent group of wideouts to work with including Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie and the Giants simply don’t have the cornerbacks to match. If they can’t get to Manning, they are going to give up a ton of points in this game.
To be fair, the Colts were in good shape in Week 1 even with the poor protection and the poor running game, but a few plays weren’t executed properly and that turned out to be the difference. If Garcon hangs on to the football at the end of the first half, the Colts could have been leading going into halftime and the complexion of the game would have changed. If they can do a better job of executing those plays, they’ll win this game.
Outlook
The Colts can’t and won’t be as sloppy as they were in the opener. On offense, they’ll execute at their typical level and on defense, they’ll slow down the Giants running game and force the game through the air. If that’s the case, we all know who has the edge here – especially playing at home.
With the Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans all 1-0 already heading into this week, the Colts can’t afford to lose again and fall two games behind.
Pick: Colts -5.5
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Dave Golokhov has written for BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central.org, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
