Monday Night Football Betting Picks: Colts at Saints
NFL Week 15 comes to close with a Monday Night Football meeting between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. The Saints are 9.5-point favorites at online sports betting sites after opening -8.5, and the point total is up to 47.5 after opening 45.5.
Use RotoGrinders odds comparison tool to view Week 16 NFL odds across the online sportsbooks for NFL betting picks.
Monday Night Football Betting Odds — Colts at Saints
- Spread: Saints -9.5
- Point Total: 47.5
69% of bets are on the Saints and 90% of bets are on the Under as of Monday morning, per VegasInsider.com.
Monday Night Football Betting Picks — Colts at Saints
Playoff implications
In Week 14, the Saints suffered only their third loss of the season in a 48-46 track meet at the Super Dome. That loss could prove costly as Drew Brees and the Saints battle for a first-round bye in the NFC. A win Monday night is pivotal for the Saints to keep their bye and home-field hopes alive. According to FiveThirtyEight, a win will give the Saints a 59% chance earning of earning a first-round bye while a loss plummets their odds to just 28%.
The stakes are even higher for the Colts who are on the outside looking in when it comes to the AFC playoff race. A Monday night loss will seal their fate, but a win gives Indianapolis a 20% chance of making the playoffs at the season’s end.
Week 14 casualties
Not only did the Saints lose a heartbreaker in Week 14, but their Super Bowl aspirations have taken a hit after suffering a handful of injuries during the most exciting game of the year.
One of Week 14’s casualties was star pass rusher Marcus Davenport, who is scheduled for season-ending foot surgery. The loss will be costly considering the 31 tackles and six sacks Davenport had racked up through the first 14 weeks of the season. The defensive line took another blow to Sheldon Rankins, who also might be done for the remainder of the season. Keep in mind, these injuries are on top of already-injured linebackers A.J Klein and Kiko Alonso, who sat out against the 49ers. The Saints signed Manti Te’o as response to the injuries at linebacker two weeks ago.
Here’s a more in-depth look at the Saints’ lengthy injury report released Saturday:
- Marcus Davenport – DE – IR
- Sheldon Rankins – DT – IR
- Kiko Alonso – LB – OUT
- Von Bell – S – OUT
- Patrick Robinson – CB – OUT
We saw these injuries take their toll as the Saints gave up 48 points and allowed over 500 total yards to Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers. Over 350 of those yards came through the air while the Saints depleted defensive front gave up an additional 164 yards on the ground after being relatively successful at stopping opposing offenses for most of the season.
I expect New Orleans’ defensive woes to continue in Week 15 on Monday Night Football, even against a Colts offense that is missing several of quarterback Jacoby Brissett favorite targets. The good news is, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning, T.Y. Hilton a “good shot” being available for the Colts against the Saints. He’ll likely be a true game-time decision, but I’m betting on the Colts with or without him.
Monday Night Football Betting Pick: Colts +9.5 (-115) ; Over 47.5 Points (-110)
Monday Night Football Betting Picks — Player Props
Michael Thomas 9+ Receptions (-119 at PointsBet – Thomas is on pace to break Marvin Harrison’s single-season receptions record thanks to a massive 32% target share. He has a great matchup against the Colts’ zone-defensive scheme Monday night.
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Jack Doyle Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-112) at FanDuel – It’s still unclear whether Hilton will be a go Monday night or night, but Doyle should see his fair share of targets with Eric Ebron is out for the season. While last week’s two-reception performance against Tampa Bay isn’t exactly encouraging, Doyle did put up 73 yards against the Titans one week prior.
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Monday Night Football Picks – Monkey Knife Fight
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Here are my favorite Monkey Knife Fight picks for Monday Night Football:
Drew Brees Over 330.5 Passing Yards + Jacoby Brissett Over 228.5 Passing Yards
Michael Thomas Over 8.5 Receptions
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images