The Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts will meet during Week 8 of the 2012-13 NFL season on October 28, 2012. The game will be played at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee. These are some picks against the spread for that contest.
The Colts have a 3-3 record. The Titans have a 3-4 record. The Titans have lost six of the last seven meetings. However, they did win when these teams last met at LP Field. The Titans beat the Colts 27-10 on October 30, 2011. The Colts are playing their first division game since Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia. They have a 0-2 road record. The Titans have a 2-1 home record. They've won two straight games.
The early spread is Titans (-3.5). The over-under total is 46.5. As of October 24, all odds are from Yahoo! Sports. Click the "Key Injuries" for injury reports from official team websites.
Week 7 Results
Tennessee Titans 35 at Buffalo Bills 34
Cleveland Browns 13 at Indianapolis Colts 17
Key Injuries: Tennessee Titans (As of October 24)
QB Jake Locker, OT Michael Roos, LB Colin McCarthy
Key Injuries: Indianapolis Colts (As of October 24)
RB Donald Brown, LB Pat Angerer, LB Dwight Freeney, LB Robert Mathis, OT Winston Justice
Keys To The Game
Colts' First Division Game In Chuckstrong Era: Player Emotion?
Can Either Defense Avoid A Slow Start?
Mike Otto vs. Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis
Chris Johnson vs. Colts' Run-Defense
Jason McCourty and Alterraun Verner vs. Reggie Wayne
Coby Fleener vs. Titans' Defense
Titans' Ability To Pressure Andrew Luck
Titans' Run-Defense: Tackling
Special Teams
Summary
The Colts are playing their first division game in the Chuckstrong era. What does that mean for motivation? With a 3-3 record, they have a chance to take a 1.5-game lead over the Titans.The Titans have a chance to return to .500. Both teams have a 0-1 record against AFC South teams. This is a must-win game for them.
The Titans have won their last two games. Both have come in the final minute. The Colts have shown that they're capable of comebacks and fourth quarter heroics. In Week 5, they overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit against the Green Bay Packers. The Colts won 30-27.
Will Chris Johnson have another game with more than 100 rushing yards? The Colts have the NFL's 26th-ranked run-defense. They allow 141.7 yards per game. They allow a 4.8 yards per carry average. They've allowed seven runs of 20-plus yards and three runs of 40-plus yards. Don't forget that they've already had their bye week.
Pass protection is important. The Titans have the NFL's 28th-ranked pass rush. Through seven games, they have nine sacks. Can they force Andrew Luck into mistakes? On the other side, they also must protect Matt Hasselbeck. Michael Roos could miss this game with an injury. How well can Mike Otto block Dwight Freeney or Robert Mathis? Both linebackers are battling injuries.
The Titans should win. In two road games, the Colts have been outscored 76-30. Their most-recent road loss came when the New York Jets beat them 35-9. The Titans are at least as good as the Jets, probably better. It's just hard to feel confident in a victory for a defense that allows 34 points per game. It's critical that Johnson gets going early.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (-3.5): The Pick
Against The Spread: Tennessee Titans (-3.5)
Straight: Tennessee Titans 31, Indianapolis Colts 24
Joshua Huffman graduated from Middle Tennessee State University as a marketing major in 2009. He's been a Middle Tennessee resident from 1986-88 and 2001-present. He lived in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin from 1988-01 and for approximately eight months in 2009-10 as he completed a 20-game volunteer position with the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers. His favorite sports organizations include the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs, Nashville Predators and Tennessee Titans. He can be found on Twitter HERE.
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