Oddsmakers pick Denver Broncos to beat Indianapolis Colts in short week
Oct 3, 2022, 1:03 PM
The Denver Broncos aren’t catching a lot of breaks lately, but they may be catching one in the schedule this week.
It’s hard to win on the road in the NFL, and it’s challenging to win on a short week; now, combine those two things, and the Indianapolis Colts are in for a challenge on Thursday when they travel to Denver. While the Broncos are without their starting running back for the rest of the season, the Colts could also be without their star back in the game, as Jonathan Taylor is battling an ankle injury.
Oddsmakers currently predict that the Broncos will win the battle of the horses by three points.
The Broncos are 2-0 at home but are coming off a road loss in Las Vegas. The Colts have been in three of their four games this season and have a record of 1-2-1, losing this past weekend to Jacksonville.
This will be the 29th matchup between the franchises and the 26th in the regular season. The Broncos are 14-14 all-time against the Colts, last playing against each other in October of 2019. Denver lost that contest but beat Indy on a Thursday night game in 2017.
Of course, the big connection between these two teams is Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who has been more tied to the Broncos in his retirement than the team he spent a larger chunk of his career with.
Denver has its best quarterback since Manning retired, picking up Russell Wilson via trade this offseason. The Colts also acquired their gunslinger in a trade this offseason, getting former Pro Bowler Matt Ryan from Atlanta. The Colts passing offense has been good, but their rushing offense has struggled coming out of the gate, with Taylor following up a big season with a dud thus far.
A win would give Denver a great chance to regroup at 3-2 with an exceptionally long break before their next game, which is on Monday Night Football in Week 6 against the Chargers.
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