JETS (2-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS (3-5)
TV: Fox, NFL, Amazon, 8:20 p.m.
Indianapolis by 10.5; O/U: 46
A funny thing happened on the way to this being an easy pick: For starters, er, backups, Mike White had the game of his life as the Jets stunned the Bengals, 34-31. Then the Colts lost at home to the Titans by the same score, only in overtime. The lookahead line for this game was Colts -14.5, but that quickly dropped to 10.5. As is often the case in the NFL, you think you have it all figured out and then in a matter of three hours, your opinion completely changes.
You should never overreact to one game. After the Jets upset the Titans, many, including myself, thought it would carry over to London. The Jets laid an egg, of course. Still, this spread feels too high. White energized the Jets offense and the defense has already been bringing it for most of the season (let’s forget that 54-point game in New England happened). Robert Saleh is the master motivator, and you saw it translate to the field.
While the Jets probably feel good about being 2-5 — remember, after that 0-3 start, people were talking about it being 0-8, and even worse — the Colts must be miserable about being 3-5. This year, HBO’s "Hard Knocks" is following them during the season, a first. The Colts have lived up to the title of the show. On Sunday, they jumped out to a 14-0 lead but let it slip away against the Titans. They led 22-3 at Baltimore on MNF in Week 5 before losing in overtime. Which Carson Wentz will show up in prime time?
The Colts are home, have the better roster and should prevail. Their three wins (27-17 at Miami, 31-3 vs. Houston and 30-18 at San Francisco) would’ve covered this spread. The Jets, though, have a little momentum, a lot of heart and with this being their lone prime-time game of the season, I expect no letdown from Sunday’s stunner and a complete-game effort. This will be close in the fourth quarter.
The pick: Jets
