Colts Odds Stay Stagnant Despite Injuries Piling Up
By Peter Dewey
Has any team had as rough of an offseason as the Indianapolis Colts?
The Colts nearly lost Carson Wentz for a major chunk of time to a foot injury, but it appears he and Quenton Nelson will be good to go at some point early in the season.
However, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton suffered a neck injury that will keep him out to begin the 2021 campaign, and then the team announced on Monday that Wentz, Zach Pascal, and Ryan Kelly would all be heading to the COVID-19 list today after being listed as close contacts.
The three players the #Colts placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list today -- QB Carson Wentz, WR Zach Pascal and C Ryan Kelly -- are all close contacts with a staff member who tested positive, per source. Back in five days as long as they remain negative and asymptomatic.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 30, 2021
Hilton, who was expected to be the team’s No. 1 receiver, won’t miss the full season according to Frank Reich, but his absence will leave a major hole for whoever is at quarterback for the Colts in Week 1.
“He was experiencing some discomfort during the trip to Detroit, so we got scans done,” Reich said. “It was a disc issue, so that’s a complicated issue. So there are more meetings, more evaluation to come, more opinions to come. Obviously, we want to do our due diligence there. We’ve got all the right people on it, and we’ll just continue to meet with the doctors, work with their cue and move forward accordingly.
“He will miss some games. We don’t know exactly how many. We’re optimistic it’s not season ending – so we don’t know exactly how many games.”
Despite all of these injuries, Indy’s odds to win the AFC South have remained the same at WynnBET at +140. They dropped after the initial Wentz foot injury, but Hilton’s ailment wasn’t enough to make oddsmakers change their stance on the Colts.
That’s a good sign for Colts fans, but bettors beware.
We saw how the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos struggled mightily last season after both teams suffered a myriad of early-season injuries, and it’s possible the Colts are headed for the same fate in 2021.
The Tennessee Titans are currently the favorites in the AFC South at -130 odds, and they’d be my pick to take the division crown this season.
Can the Colts still win the AFC South this season? Get in on the action with the WynnBET app.