NFL Postseason Week 1 Betting: Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens Pick and Prediction
The Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens will get together on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. The Indianapolis Colts come into the game as the fifth seed in the AFC. The Colts are coming off a big win over divisional rival Houston on Sunday. Indianapolis won 11 games during the 2012 regular season. For the Ravens, they come into the game as the winner of the AFC North. Baltimore went 10-6, but struggled down the stretch, including a loss to Cincinnati last week.
The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the biggest surprises in all of the National Football League. Andrew Luck, in his rookie season has been fantastic for Indianapolis, passing for 23 touchdowns and over 4,300 passing yards. The Colts top receiver was Reggie Wayne, who caught 106 passes and 5 touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton had a huge breakout season for Indianapolis, leading the team with 7 touchdown receptions. Indianapolis passed for 258 yards per game, and ran for 104.4. The Colts went 5-3 on the road during the regular season.
The Baltimore Ravens were 9-2, and at the top of all of the NFL. The Ravens lost to the Steelers, which was their first of four losses in five games. The Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 317 of 531 passes for 3,817 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Baltimore running back Ray Rice ran the football 257 times for over 1,140 yards and 9 touchdowns. The two top receivers for Baltimore were Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. The combination caught 12 touchdowns on the season.
Odds and Sports Betting Line
- Baltimore Ravens -6.5
- Indianapolis Colts +6.5
Free Prediction and Pick
This should be an excellent postseason game. Baltimore went 6-2 in games played at home this season. Baltimore in the past was a very intimidating defensive team. This season, with injuries, and aging, the Ravens defense has not been nearly as touch as past seasons. The Colts are playing in their first postseason game for the first time for many of the players, including quarterback Andrew Luck. Indianapolis will keep this game close. Look for this game to come down to the end of the game, where the home crowd will come into play.
Prediction: Baltimore Colts 24-21
What a great game this should be. The Colts are almost a touchdown underdog in this game. This is a team that has been counted out a ton of times this season. Baltimore is -6.5, despite losing four of their last five games. We look for this game to be closer than most of the experts say. While we think the Ravens will win the game, we are expecting the Indianapolis Colts to cover this spread, as the underdog.
Pick: Indianapolis Colts +6.5