The Indianapolis Colts bounced back in a big way in Week 3. After tying the Texans in Houston and getting shut out in Jacksonville, the Colts pulled out a 20-17 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs to get back to 1-1-1 on the season. Now they host another AFC South contender that has had a tough start, as the Tennessee Titans come to town. The Titans lost on a missed field goal at the end of regulation to the Giants and then got rolled, 41-7, in Buffalo. They came back home to beat Las Vegas, 24-22, in Week 3. Which Colts team will show up against the Titans? We have some NFL betting thoughts on this battle between the top two teams in the AFC South.
NFL Preview: Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
(Sunday, October 2)
When: Sunday, October 2, 2022, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
TV: CBS
Radio: WGFX 104.5 FM Nashville / WFNI 107.5 FM Indianapolis
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: Indianapolis -3.5 / O/U 42.5 // Indianapolis -178 / Tennessee +150
Why should you bet on the Titans?
If we’re going to be honest, the Colts beating the Chiefs is a more impressive win than the Titans knocking off the Raiders, but both wins show an improvement. Ryan Tannehill has not played up to his usual consistency this season, with three interceptions to go along with his three touchdowns. He does have a 62.5% pass completion rate, but the passing game has not kept the pressure off Derrick Henry. Henry does lead the team with 192 yards and two scores in three games, but that is far from his league-leading numbers before his foot fracture in 2021.
On defense, the Titans have been way too generous, permitting 28 points per contest. Rashad Weaver has kicked in three sacks already, but the Titan defense is staying on the field too long and is giving up too many points. It is worth pointing out, though, that the Titans have covered in four of their last five meetings with the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium and in four of their last five meetings overall.
Why should you put your money on the Colts?
The Colts are not yet getting what they expected out of Matt Ryan, as he has four interceptions already and has had difficulty sustaining drives. That changed a bit against Kansas City, but the Chiefs’ defense looked out of sync for much of the day. On the ground, Jonathan Taylor has 286 yards through three games but has only found the end zone once. The offense will need to sustain drives more regularly if they want to beat the Titans.
The defense has been solid, permitting just 20.3 points per game. Kwity Paye leads the team with two sacks, and Zaire Franklin is the top tackler with 30. The Colts have just covered once in their last five games overall, but that came last week with the win over Kansas City. In this rivalry, the favorite has covered in 14 of the last 19 meetings. If you like the Colts, you see Jonathan Taylor pounding the ball and keeping the Titan defense on the field for too long, and you also see Tannehill struggling once again with sustaining drives and maintaining ball security.
Final Score and Prediction
Both teams took an important step last week, but the Colts have the better running attack right now, and they have the steadier defense. I predict a final score of Indianapolis 27, Tennessee 23.
NFL Betting Odds
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