Ricky Dimon
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It was hard to know what to expect of the Indianapolis Colts heading into the 2018 campaign. They were being led by a new head coach who wasn’t their first choice (Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels got the job before backing out), Andrew Luck had just missed all of 2017 with a neck injury, and without Luck the team had compiled a dreadful 4-12 record. Even with Luck back on board, it looked like more of the same for Indianapolis in the early going. The Colts were seemingly down for the count after six weeks with a 1-5 record, but they promptly reeled off nine wins in their last 10 regular-season games to make an improbable playoff appearance. Let’s take a look at the Indianapolis Colts Betting Recap now.
Reich the ship
Former Bills quarterback and current Colts head coach Frank Reich knows a thing or two about mounting comebacks. That is exactly what he did in year one with Indianapolis, which followed up its 1-5 record (2-4 ATS) by going 9-1 (6-3-1 ATS). How did the Colts right the ship? Well, Luck understandably started slow upon his return before unsurprisingly finding his groove for the stretch run. With his team sitting four games under .500, the former Stanford standout got going to the tune of 13 touchdowns compared to only one interception over the next four contests—all wins. Moreover, after surrendering a ridiculous 117 points from Week 4 through Week 6, Indy’s defense held five of its last 10 opponents to no more than 21 points. The end result was an improbable wild-card berth and a postseason victory over AFC South rival Houston before a divisional-round loss at top-seeded Kansas City.
Browns Against the Spread
The Colts did not do bettors any favors in September and early October, covering only in a win at Washington and a competitive road setback against Philadelphia. But as Luck and company got rolling, so did the monetary gains for their backers. Although they failed to cover the spread in two of their victories (vs. Jacksonville and the Giants), it was mostly smooth sailing over the last 10 weeks of the 2018 campaign. Facing virtual must-win situations the entire way for its playoff hopes, Indianapolis wrapped up the regular season in style with records of 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in its last four.
Browns Over/Under
If you started betting on the Colts and the Under in the second half of the season, you raked in the cash. But for people who made plays on this team throughout the entire 2018 campaign, they came out just about even. In addition to being an almost-.500 8-7-1 ATS, Indianapolis was an exactly-.500 8-8 Over/Under. The Under went 5-2 in the final seven outings, including two shutouts (Indy somehow lost to the awful Jaguars 6-0 and then somehow humiliated a solid Cowboys team 23-0). In their last two showdowns against the division-rival Titans, with whom they were battling for a wild card, the Colts surrendered a total of just 27 points.
No more questions
The Colts are going into 2019 with no such question marks that surrounded them during the previous offseason. They are a +1100 sixth choice to win Super Bowl LIV behind New England, Kansas City, the Rams, the Chargers, and New Orleans. Luck is an obvious MVP candidate based on how he finished this past year. Running back Marlon Mack racked up 908 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. T.Y. Hilton is a star at receiver and Eric Ebron is one of the most prolific tight ends in football. The team’s offensive line—even though it just lost its coordinator—is perhaps the best in the business. If Luck can stay healthy and the defense plays like it did in the second half of 2018, Indianapolis will once again be playoff-bound.
