Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders Picks and Odds Week 17

Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders Betting Preview

WagerTalk NFL handicapper Andy Lang offers his Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders Week 17 betting preview for Sunday, January 2. At the time of posting, the Colts have climbed to a 7-point home favorite over the visiting Raiders, with the total sitting at 44 points.

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NFL Week 17	Betting Notes
Point Spread:	Indianapolis Colts -7 vs Las Vegas Raiders
Total:	44 Points
Game Time:	1:00pm ET / 10:00am PT on Sunday, January 2
Stadium:	Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
TV:	CBS

Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders Analysis

Huge game in the AFC Playoff race as the Raiders travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts who will most likely not have Carson Wentz…however there is an outside shot Wentz could play.

The Raiders are tied with three other teams at 8-7, and if they win would pull even with the Colts and they would own the tiebreaker. The Colts are holding on for the best wild card seeing as Tennessee just needs one win to wrap up the division. The Colts are a -6.5 / 7-point home favorite, and the total is sitting at 44 points. Let’s see if can bring some money on this matchup.

Obviously for the Colts, going from Wentz to Ehlinger is a step down, and while most might say, “How hard is it to hand the ball to Jonathan Taylor?”, Wentz has made some nice plays down the stretch and he has not made the huge glaring turnover that he’s done many times before. Taylor will clearly be the focal point of the offense, and against a Raiders team who gives up 116.5 yards rushing a game.

Great news for Colts fans is that Quenton Nelson, and Ryan Kelly are on pace to play, and that adds two of the most important pieces to the Colts dominant run game. They will also be getting back Darrius Leonard The Colts have won eight out of ten games with their two losses being to Tampa and Tennessee with Derrick Henry, and the defense has allowed 17 or fewer points in five out of six games.

Oakland is somehow 8-7 and in the playoff hunt despite their roller coaster season and they are coming off of two low scoring wins against Cleveland and Denver, and they will be without Darren Waller again as he has been put on the COVID list, which is a big blow as Indianapolis struggles against tight ends.

The Raiders’ defense has slowed down some bad offenses like Denver (with Drew Lock), and Cleveland with Nick Mullens, but they’ve given up 48 to the Chiefs and 33 to the Cowboys. They may get another bad quarterback gift if Ehlinger starts for the Colts, but that won’t jump start the offense who has put up 17 points or under in seven out of eight games.

I’ll be playing the under in this game as the Colts’ defense should be able to slow down this Raiders offense, and I’ll hope that Ehlinger starts. If he does it will be a huge running game with lots of time running off the clock, and very few big plays. Even if Wentz plays, I still like both teams to run the ball and keep this under the total.

OFFICIAL PLAY: Under 44.5 Points.

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Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders Preview from GoldSheet

Catching backup QBs the past two weeks has allowed the Raiders to climb back into the AFC playoff picture and help overcome some grievous errors by Derek Carr that might otherwise warrant a benching. If this good fortune continues, perhaps Carson Wentz gets sidelined by health protocols this week and Vegas will only have to deal with Texas rookie Sam Ehlinger to get closer to a wild card berth. And, wouldn’t you know, Wentz was placed on the Covid list on Tuesday, though still unclear about his status and whether it might be a contact tracing situation, in which case he could still be reinstated before kickoff. Stay tuned.

Indy is arguably the hottest non-Chiefs team in the AFC, winning and covering three in a row and 9 of 12 to get Frank Reich on the doorstep of a fourth postseason trip in five seasons. While projecting a bit that the OL will be back near full-strength, it’s worth pointing out that Jonathan Taylor still cracked for 108 yards rushing against the Big Red last Saturday, while Wentz has continued his cool efficiency (25 TDP, just 6 picks).

Meanwhile, the Raiders offense has looked more like Stanford’s since Halloween, scoring beyond 17 points just once in eight games, and surviving Carr’s key mistakes (including picks in each of the past three games) only because they were facing limited offenses relying upon co-pilots the past two weeks…and who knows, maybe vs. Indy minus Wentz here, though controlling Taylor figures to be a challenging no matter who takes the snaps for Indy. After all, Carr can only lean on Josh Jacobs and the ground game so much, and even after that closer-than-it-should-have-been win vs. the punchless Broncos last week, the Raiders have still covered just two of their last eight.

NFL Week 17 Stat Sheet

NFL handicappers Ralph Michaels and JM Sports put together a weekly NFL stat sheet that features game logs and key statistical notes for each team. Don’t place a bet on Sunday’s Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders clash before diving into this FREE download.

Bet On It | NFL Week 17 Preview

The barking dogs, sandwiches, teasers, and steam plays are back! Join Kelly, Marco, Gianni and Ralph every Wednesday for Bet On It as we discuss the NFL and college football betting slate from a variety of betting angles.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the moneylines, point spreads, first half lines and betting percentages for all of the NFL Week 17 games, including this Indianapolis Colts vs Las Vegas Raiders showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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