After an agonising OT defeat to the Tennessee Titans last time out, the Indianapolis Colts will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they welcome the New York Jets to the Lucas Oil Stadium.
Head coach Frank Reich has already accepted responsibility for the narrow loss to the Titans, a result which leaves the Colts (3-5) second in the AFC South and three wins behind Tennessee in the race for top spot in the division.
An instant response is what is required for Indianapolis and they will be confident of overcoming the Jets (2-5), an opponent they have beaten twice in the past three meetings and also lead 42-29 in the all-time regular season series.
Wentz Showing His Class
QB Carson Wentz, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to Super Bowl glory in 2017, is starting to show signs of rediscovering that form and he leads the team in passing this season, completing 168 of 270 passes for 1,926 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The 28-year-old certainly has the ability and he will be hoping to add to his TD tally, although he won’t have wide receiver T.Y. Hilton to aim for after it was confirmed he will miss the game due to concussion.
With this in mind, it may prove prudent to look at the Colts’ running game and the 9/5 on offer for RB Jonathan Taylor, who has a rushing TD in three of his past four games, to score a touchdown anytime during the first half is very tempting.
The 22-year-old has amassed 649 yards from 121 carries, an average of 5.4 yards per carry, and has ran in six touchdowns. Taylor has also been a threat in the passing game, with 21 receptions for 265 yards and one TD, and he is one of the biggest threats on the field.
Wilson’s Replacement Going Well
New York could be forgiven for worrying about the state of their season after QB Zach Wilson picked up an injury in the heavy defeat to the New England Patriots, but Mike White enjoyed a solid debut last week as the Jets overcame the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 26-year-old completed 37 of 45 passes for 405 yards – joining Cam Newton (2011) in becoming the only quarterbacks with 400 or more passing yards in their first career NFL start – while he also threw three touchdowns against two interceptions.
White, who also became the first Jets QB to throw 400 or more yards since Vinny Testaverde in 2000, is likely to be tested more by the Colts, who revealed defensive end Tyquan Lewis suffered a season-ending patella injury against the Titans, but this will be a good opportunity to showcase his talents.
Expect High-Scoring Affair
Neither the Colts or the Jets have been fantastic in defence this season, with Indianapolis allowing 2,819 yards while New York have conceded a total of 2,733 in this department.
Looking at the over/under alternate points provides some value and backing over 43.5 points, at 4/6, could be the way to go in this one based on results this season.
Of Indianapolis’s eight games, over 46.5 points has landed in six of those, while the same bet has come off in New York’s last four matches.
*All odds correct at time of writing.