For those who enjoy such wagers, there are two matchups in NFL Week 1 where the OVER/UNDER is 51.
The first is the New Orleans Saints hosting the Oakland Raiders. That’s hardly a surprise considering the caliber of quarterbacks and the shortcomings of their defense — particularly the Saints.
The others is the Sunday late-afternoon tilt between the Detroit Lions and Colts at Indianapolis. Chuck Pagano’s team is also favored by four points (courtesy of Odds Shark) as it looks to rebound from an 8-8 season and its failure to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
When you consider that neither team strikes fear into the other when it comes to the ground game, and that quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Andrew Luck have their share of potent targets to throw to, the high number makes a lot more sense.
While there’s no more Calvin Johnson in the Motor City, Stafford has Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, and Andrew Roberts at his disposal. Luck, who missed nine games in 2015, counters with T.Y. Hilton, second-year pro Phillip Dorsett, and emerging Donte Moncrief.
After an awful start last season, the Lions went 6-2 outright and against the spread (thanks to The Gold Sheet). Their only setbacks in the second half of the season were a four-point “Hail Mary” loss to the Packers and a seven-point defeat at the hands of the Rams.
No matter how you sliced it, the Colts were mediocre as a betting proposition. As mentioned, they were a perfect .500 in 2015 but were also 8-8 ATS and when it came to the OVER/UNDER. If there was any solace for an Indianapolis fan, the team was 8-4 against the number in their final 12 outings – seven of which they played without Luck. Head coach Chuck Pagano is hoping he can stay out of harm’s way this year and cut back on the mistakes as well.
The Lions won their final three games outright in 2015. Will that carry over to this road tilt?