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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Kevin Hickey

Colts open as slight underdogs to Falcons in Week 16

The Indianapolis Colts (8-6) are in the middle of playoff push as they prepare to visit the Atlanta Falcons (6-8) in Week 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

While the Colts are in a three-way tie for the lead in the AFC South, they also hold the No. 7 seed in the wild-card race. The Falcons are one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, both of which are 7-7.

Here are the opening odds for the Week 16 matchup, courtesy of BetMGM:

Spread Moneyline Total Points
Indianapolis Colts (8-6) +1
-110
-105 O 44
-110
Atlanta Falcons (6-8) -1
-110
-115 U 44
-110

According to Vegas Insider, the Colts are currently 9-5 against the spread this season while 71.4% (10-4) of their games have hit the over. Conversely, the Falcons are 4-10 against the spread with only 35.6% (5-9) of their games hitting the over.

The early bets of the week favor the Colts pretty heavily, which is why it’s a bit surprising to see the Falcons sit as the favorite. According to BetMGM, 88% of bettors believe the Colts will cover the one-point spread with 83% taking the Colts’ moneyline as of this writing. Meanwhile, the under is being taken by 57% of bettors.

The Colts are dealing with some injuries to Michael Pittman Jr. (concussion), Zack Moss (shoulder/arm), Jonathan Taylor (thumb) and Braden Smith (knee). But they have won five out of their last six and have averaged 23.2 points per game during that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Falcons have lost five of their last seven games, averaging 20.4 points per game during that span.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons have been very solid. They rank 10th in yards per game, seventh in yards per play, fifth in first downs per game, third in third-down percentage and second in red zone percentage.

This could wind up being a close game, especially if injuries wind up being a factor.

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