Two teams coming off losses will look to right the ship when they face off in the latest edition of Sunday Night Football. There are questions surrounding both teams coming into this pivotal matchup.
Let’s take a look at each team and find a winning pick.
NFL Pick
- Colts + 5.5 (-110) at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Minnesota Vikings
Monday, November 03, 2024 – 08:20 PM ET at U.S. Bank Stadium
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts and their project quarterback Anthony Richardson have an interesting dilemma for the rest of the season. Anthony Richardson has unbelievable talent, but does not yet have the refinement to play NFL quarterback at a high level. The Colts invested the number four pick of last year’s draft on Richardson and now must make a tough decision. Do the Colts sacrifice the rest of this season in favor of Richardson’s development or make the move to veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and try and make the playoffs this year?
Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen has just chosen Joe Flacco as the starting quarterback of this game. Keen NFL observers know how much better this team is with Joe Flacco in the lineup. The Colts have decided to forgo Richardson’s development and make a push for the playoffs with the better QB this season.
The Colts have one of the best offensive lines in the league and one of the best running backs in Jonathan Taylor. They will look to run the ball in this game no matter who the quarterback is. This should provide an interesting dilemma for aggressive defensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings. Can the Colts use the run game to keep the Vikings from blitzing on almost every play?
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings were the talk of the NFL when they won their first five games of the year. However, the Vikings are coming off of two straight losses and now their early season success is in danger of being wasted.
Not only did the Minnesota Vikings lose the game against the Los Angeles Rams 30-20 on Thursday Night Football last week, they lost their star left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending injury. Without Darrisaw in the lineup, the Vikings were not able to give their quarterback, Sam Darnold, the protection he needed to find his talented wide receivers. A promising season for the Vikings could be derailed with a loss of their star lineman.
The Vikings still have a strong defense and will lean on that to try and make do as their offense is weakened. The Vikings have been excellent on defense this year and will need that to continue, especially against the excellent offensive line play of the Indianapolis Colts. The Vikings will need to stop the run, or they can be in trouble this week.
The Vikings hope to keep up the play of QB Sam Darnold. Darnold looked excellent to start the season but he has regressed in the last 2 games. Plus, his 2nd half stats are much worse than the first half stats with the scripted plays, leaving one to wonder if the Vikings will be vulnerable in the 2nd half.
Key Matchup: Colts Defensive Line vs. Vikings Offensive Line
Last week after losing Christian Darrisaw, the Vikings were not able to block the opposing pass rushers of the Los Angeles Rams. The Indianapolis Colts will watch that tape and look to attack the same flaws. The Vikings have extra rest to try and address this problem, and maybe they’ll need to leave extra blockers in the backfield as their pass protection on the left side will not be nearly as strong.
If the Vikings are able to make adjustments and thwart the pass rush of the Indianapolis Colts, they can return to being the balanced offense that has looked so good so far this season. If the Colts are able to get pressure on Darnald and force him into mistakes, they should be able to cover this point spread.
The Pick
Since Joe Flacco will play, this is way too many points for the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts receive a huge boost with Flacco in the lineup. The books are not accounting for how much better this team is with Flacco under center.
I will take the Colts here at -110 NFL odds. With Flacco announced as a quarterback, we are getting a great number right now that will probably move as bettors look more into this situation. I think the books are underrating how much of a boost Flacco will provide and how much of a downgrade the Vikings offensive line will take without Darrisaw. I love this spot with points in our pocket going into this pivotal showdown.
NFL Pick: Colts + 5.5 (-110) at Bet365
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
