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The Indianapolis Colts defeated the Houston Texans 2-1 in a matchup of AFC South teams on Wild Card Weekend, and their reward is a date with probable NFL Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the Divisional Round next week.
Next week’s No. 6 vs No. 1 battle begins at 4:35 pm ET, the first game of arguably the NFL’s best weekend of the season. Head coach Andy Reid arguably has the most talented offense he has ever had to work with, as he prepares to welcome Frank Reich who has revived Andrew Luck’s career and taken his team from the brink of catastrophe — namely a 1-5 start — into a second-weekend berth.
Odds
The Colts open up as a +195 moneyline underdog against Mahomes and the Chiefs:
The Colts open as +195 moneyline underdogs against the Chiefs @betonline_ag.
Indianapolis profiles well against Kansas City as an upset pick. The Colts offensive line with center Ryan Kelly back in the fold is the league’s top unit, which means not only can the offense put points up on the board, but they can wear out fronts and match the Chiefs in time of possession.
The Chiefs have not fared well when covering the spread in their past 12 playoff games, which bodes well for Colts bettors.
As of now, the opening spread for the game has not been released.
Prediction
The Chiefs’ offensive explosions have been much more tame into the second half of the season. Still, Mahomes was able to hit the 50-touchdown mark for the season, a milestone reached only by two other quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Following the Colts’ win against the Texans, OddsShark has moved the Colts up to +350 to win the AFC and reach the Super Bowl.
Updated odds to win the AFC (@betonline_ag):
Chiefs +175
Patriots +225
Colts +350
Chargers +600
Ravens +800
The Colts will be the trendy upset pick heading into next weekend. This time around, KC features an explosive arm at quarterback, and not Alex Smith — no offense to Smith who is a talented player in his own right. Despite shutting down DeAndre Hopkins, the Colts defense will have a handful attempting to corral the Chiefs’ secondary weapons, namely Travis Kelce.
Official Prediction: Chiefs: 35, Colts: 31.