NFL Playoff Betting with Prop Picks – Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts

Saturday, January 16th – 8:15 pm EST
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

NFL Point Spread: Indianapolis -6, O/U: 44 

Ravens made history last Sunday, crushing the Patriots 33-14 and becoming the first visiting team to win a playoff game at Gillette Stadium, EVER.

From literally the first play of the game, Baltimore owned this matchup. They picked off Brady three times, unheard of in the postseason against the Patriots. The Ravens rushed for 234 yards and Joe Flacco played just well enough not to blow the game. It may sound dramatic, but last week’s win officially ended the New England dynasty.  

So now the Ravens have another dynasty to contend with: the Colts. Colts finished the season 14-2, but neither of their losses came when the starters played a full game. Peyton Manning won his record 4th MVP award last week, and with good reason. Manning finished the season with 4,500 yards, 33 touchdowns and a club-record 68.8 completion percentage. There really isn’t much else to say about Manning. He and his Colts just know how to win.  

What The Ravens Have To Do To Win

Somehow the Ravens have to keep the ball out of Manning’s hands. It may sound impossible, but it’s simply just implausible. Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain are the best trio of runners in football right now, as they’ve averaged 216.2 rushing yards per game in their past five games. Keep the ball on the ground, eat up clock and make sure Manning spends as little time under centre as possible.

The Ravens cannot just rely on their defense. Yes, Baltimore’s defense played outstanding last week, but they were playing an injured Tom Brady, a disinterested Randy Moss and no Wes Welker. The trio of Manning, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will have no such issues.   

What The Colts Have To Do To Win

What makes the Colts great is that they don’t have to really change their plan from game-to-game. Sure there are tweaks, but the system in place in Indianapolis is perfectly set for the talent they have. Manning has a deep threat in Wayne and a middle-of-the-field threat in Clark. They have a solid runner in rookie Donald Brown. The Colts may have trouble with the Ravens rush, but they can just stack the box and force Flacco to beat them in the air.

Based on Flacco’s last few performances, I doubt the Colts are shaking over that proposition. The Colts don’t rely on tricks, just solid and effective football. It’s worked over the past decade, it’ll work against the Ravens.  

Outlook & Pick

Since moving to Baltimore, the Ravens franchise has yet to beat Manning and the Colts. That may not scare the Ravens considering they broke an undefeated streak last week, but it’s a stat worth mentioning. As successful as the Ravens are at running the football and keeping Manning off the field, eventually Peyton will step onto the gridiron.

When he does, he will make his time count. Still, the Ravens always play Indy tough and their games are usually pretty close. Baltimore should cover the NFL point spread, but the Colts will win.   

NFL Point Spread Pick: Baltimore +6 & under 44

Prop Betting: Team To Score First And Score In First 6.5 Minutes

Ravens are going to run a lot in this game, so even if they get the ball first there isn’t much of a chance they’ll score too early. Don’t expect another first-play touchdown by Rice. The Colts won’t be in any hurry to do anything. They’ll score when they want too.

Prop Betting Pick: Indianapolis Will Score First, No Score In First 6.5 Minutes 

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