SNF – Colts vs Saints Week 7 Gambling Preview
Less than two years removed from their Super Bowl XLIV clash, the New Orleans Saints are set to host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.
Venue/Stadium: Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Time/Date: Sunday October 23, 2011 – 8:20 PM ET
NFL Odds from TheGreek
Money Line: Saints -1000
Spread (ATS): Saints -14
Over/Under: 48
While the Saints expect to contend for a Super Bowl once again this season out of the NFC South, the winless Colts will be content with simply finding their way to the win column without the services of franchise quarterback Peyton Manning.
If things had gone differently for Indianapolis early on then perhaps Manning would have considered a late start to the season, but with the playoffs well out of reach it appears as though Curtis Painter will be under center the rest of the way. A quick look at Painter’s statistics this season prove that he hasn’t been as awful as everyone has insinuated, with five touchdowns compared to just one interception and a completion percentage that has improved with every start. The problem is that this Colts’ team is built centered around having a Pro Bowl talent such as Manning at the position, and without their future Hall of Fame stud Indianapolis has found ways to lose, with five of their six defeats within a single score at three minutes remaining in the final quarter. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
That window may not be as close this week with Drew Brees and the Saints looking to bounce back from their first defeat in five games, a 26-20 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that wrapped up a season-high three-game road trip. Brees became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 350 yards in four-straight games, but he also threw three interceptions that proved costly in the end. Part of that could have been the injury that head coach and offensive play-caller Sean Payton suffered on the sidelines in the first quarter, which prevented him from calling the second half. Payton will be back this Sunday with a sense of urgency to get on track, and that could result in a big day for the offense.
Even after last week’s loss at Tampa Bay, the Saints have to be considered one of the top contenders in the NFC. There isn’t much room for error in a suddenly stacked NFC South division, and a win over the Colts on Sunday Night Football will be an important step towards the postseason.
NFL Betting Pick: Saints
