Betting Picks

Colts vs Titans Odds: SNF NFL Week 17 Betting Preview and Pick

The NFL doesn’t pre-schedule a Sunday night game for Week 17 because it wants to showcase the most important game of the final day of the regular season. Of course, there’s no realistic way to forecast that months ahead of time. Ideally, there’s a winner-take-all matchup for a playoff berth. That’s exactly what the NFL lucked into this week as it flexed Indianapolis Colts visiting the Tennessee Titans into the prime-time window in a matchup of 9-6 teams. So, let’s take a closer look at the Colts vs Titans odds.

First of all, the loser will not make the playoffs. The winner, on the other hand, will either be a wild-card team or AFC South champion. However, the latter only if the Houston Texans are upset at home by the nothing-to-play-for Jacksonville Jaguars (so not likely).

Tennessee is looking to make back-to-back trips to the postseason for the first time since 2007-08. Indianapolis hasn’t played extra football since 2014 largely because of injuries to star quarterback Andrew Luck, who is fully healthy now.

The Colts vs Titans odds have the Colts as 3.5-point favorites, and Indianapolis will be our against the spread pick. The total is 43.

Why Indianapolis will cover the Colts vs Titans odds

The Colts’ season looked dead in the water when they lost at the New York Jets in Week 6 to fall to 1-5, but Indy has lost just once since. Luck has been arguably the league’s MVP for the second half of the season, and he’s all but a lock to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing all of 2017 due to shoulder surgery. Luck ranks sixth in the NFL in passing yards and second with 36 TD passes.

What’s different about this Colts’ team than past ones under Luck is they finally have a good offensive line and a running attack, led by second-year tailback Marlon Mack. Plus, the defense has taken a major step forward.

Luck is an astonishing 10-0 as a starting quarterback in his career against the Titans. He led a 38-10 win over them in Week 11 with 297 yards and three touchdown passes. T.Y. Hilton caught nine passes for 155 yards and two scores.

Tennessee betting notes for Monday

The big storyline for the Titans is the health of starting quarterback Marcus Mariota. He missed a game earlier in the season and was hampered in at least a few others by a nerve issue in his throwing elbow. In the Week 16 25-16 win over the Washington Redskins, Mariota was knocked out with an injury to that elbow.

Journeyman Blaine Gabbert would start if Mariota can’t go, but with a game of this magnitude, it’s hard to imagine Mariota won’t play unless it’s very serious and he simply can’t throw the ball. Mariota also left late in the first half of the first meeting against Indy and didn’t return. Gabbert threw for 118 yards with a TD and pick in his place.

Expect the Titans to lean heavily on tailback Derrick Henry regardless. He has been a monster the past three weeks with 492 combined rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

Tennessee vs. Indianapolis line movement

The NFL odds for this game saw the line open as low as Colts -1.5, and is moving surely because bettors don’t think Mariota is playing. The total has dropped a point.

Tennessee vs. Indianapolis matchup trends

• The Colts have covered 11 of the past 14 in the series.
• Indy has won six straight regular-season finales (5-1 ATS).
• The OVER is 4-1 in the previous five meetings in Nashville.