Being favorites over the Falcons and Jets didn’t help the Raiders. They lost big to the Falcons two weeks ago and didn’t cover the 7.5-point spread in a last-second win over the Jets last week. So, let’s see what they do when being underdogs again.
The Colts come to Las Vegas Sunday and are favored by 2.5 points over the Raiders, according to BetMGM. While some other odds have the Colts favored by three points.
In the realm of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, the 8-4 Colts have won three of their last four games, including wins over the 9-3 Packers and 8-4 Titans.
The 7-5 Raiders’ only win the past three games was last week’s ugly affair against the winless Jets. The Raiders also haven’t beaten a winning team since week eight over the Browns.
In terms of where they rank on each side of the ball, the Colts take both. They are top ten in points scored and points allowed, and top five in yards allowed. While the Raiders are just outside the top ten in points scored, they are 15th in yards. And the defense is predictably among the worst in the league; 28th in points allowed and 22nd in points allowed.
Both teams need this one badly. There are enormous playoff implications. Currently, the Colts sit in the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC with the Raiders just behind them. A Raiders win would have them swapping spots, putting them in the playoff bubble and the Colts fighting to get back in. A Colts win would make it near impossible for the Raiders to overtake them the rest of the way.
