Prominent veteran quarterbacks will meet on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts will take on Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. Ryan and Wilson will battle for the seventh time in their careers, with each winning three contests to this point. Both teams have two losses in 2022, with the Colts entering at 1-2-1 and the Broncos posting a 2-2 record through four weeks. Running backs Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Javonte Williams (knee) are both sidelined.
Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET in Denver. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Broncos as 3-point home favorites in the latest Colts vs. Broncos odds, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 42. Before you make any Broncos vs. Colts picks and NFL predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's resident Colts expert, R.J. White, has to say.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes as SportsLine's No. 1 NFL expert in picks against the spread, and went 445-378-24 on his ATS picks from 2017-21, which returned $2,542 to $100 players. He's also gone an impressive 36-24-2 on his NFL picks involving the Colts, meaning he's well-qualified for this selection.
White is well-known for cashing out big in the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest twice since 2015. White also cashed big on his NFL futures in 2021, including nailing Jonathan Taylor as the NFL rushing leader at 10-1. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has set his sights on Colts vs. Broncos and just locked in his picks and NFL Week 5 predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Now, here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Colts vs. Broncos:
- Colts vs. Broncos spread: Broncos -3
- Colts vs. Broncos over/under: 42 points
- Colts vs. Broncos money line: Broncos -178, Colts +150
- IND: Colts are 11-10 against the spread in their last 21 games
- DEN: Broncos are 9-12 against the spread in their last 21 games
- Colts vs. Broncos picks: See picks here
Why the Colts can cover
The Colts are in the top 10 with 252 passing yards per game and land above the league average in first downs and third-down conversion rate. Four-time Pro Bowl quarterback and former NFL MVP Matt Ryan is No. 4 in the league with 1,125 passing yards this season and ranks No. 7 with 102 completions. Ryan has more than 60,000 career passing yards and 372 passing touchdowns and has exceeded 3,900 passing yards in 11 consecutive seasons.
Even with injury uncertainty at running back, the Colts can lean on wide receiver Michael Pittman, who caught 82 passes for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns in 2021. Pittman has 224 yards in only three games this season and puts pressure on the opposition. Denver has a stout defense, but the Broncos yielding 32 points and 212 rushing yards in a Week 4 loss, and Indianapolis is also quite potent on defense. The Colts are in the top 10 in total defense, passing defense, rushing defense, and yards per carry allowed, with above-average marks in scoring defense and third down defense. See who to back here.
Why the Broncos can cover
The Broncos have only four turnovers this season, a top mark, and are turning the ball over on only 9.1% of possessions. No team has fewer interceptions (one) than the Broncos, and nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson has a 0.8% interception rate in 2022. Wilson ranks in the top 10 at 7.5 yards per attempt and is flanked by an experienced running back in Melvin Gordon. He is in line for more work after the injury to Javonte Williams and has 21 touchdowns since the start of the 2020 season.
The Broncos also have a strong pair of wide receivers in Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, with Sutton's 343 receiving yards marking the most by a Denver pass-catcher in the first four games since 2015. Sutton is No. 3 with 13.9 yards per touch and No. 7 with 85.8 receiving yards per game. Sutton is arguably the league's best third-down weapon this season, as he has 10 catches, eight first downs, and 172 yards on third down in 2022, leading the NFL in all three categories. See who to back here.
How to make Colts vs. Broncos picks
White has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Under the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Broncos vs. Colts on Thursday Night Football? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Broncos vs. Colts spread to back, all from the expert who is 36-24 on Colts picks, and find out.