NFL Playoff XBOX Simulation Picks – Ravens vs. Colts

Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts 1/16/10 at 8:15 ET

NFL handicappers get to dig into a tasty AFC Divisional Round pro football betting battle on Saturday night when the Baltimore Ravens (10-7, 9-7-1 ATS) invade Lucas Oil Stadium to lock horns with the Indianapolis Colts (14-2, 10-5-1 ATS).

The Ravens laid the smack down on the Patriots in Gillette Stadium last week, while the Colts kicked back on their much deserved bye; kick-off is set for 1:00 ET and can be seen nationally on CBS.

Baltimore had the Colts beat in the closing moments of their regular season meeting, but QB Joe Flacco inexplicably threw an INT in the Colts red zone that killed the game winning drive. Indianapolis has won 6 in a row both SU & ATS against Baltimore with the under cashing in 5 of those 6 contests.

Weather: Dome.

 

1

2

3

4

FINAL

BALTIMORE

7

3

3

0

13

INDIANAPOLIS

7

7

7

0

21

 

Much like the Colts did in their regular season match-up, they went right down the field on the Ravens vaunted defense and grabbed a quick 7-0 lead.

QB Peyton Manning started off brilliantly connecting on each of his first five passes. He capped the drive off with a 30-yard TD strike to WR Reggie Wayne to give the home team a 7-0 lead just four minutes into the game.

The Ravens didn’t back down however as QB Joe Flacco completed his first three passes and RB Ray Rice was electric gaining huge chunks of yards on his first three carries. The Ravens tied the game up with a perfectly executed draw play on 3 rd and long that saw Rice scamper 23-yards to the house. This exciting AFC Playoff betting battle was tied at 7’s after one quarter of play.

The Colts got ahead of the spread on their second possession of the 2 nd quarter when Manning connected with WR Pierre “The Waiter” Garcon on a WR screen that he took to the house from 21-yards out.

The Ravens looked primed and ready to at least answer with a FG, but Flacco’s pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage and picked off by a Colts defender. The Ravens got the ball right back however when Manning was hit from behind by LB Terrell Suggs and the pigskin flew up in the air and into the waiting arms of big man DT Haloti Ngata who rumbled seven yards before getting his legs taken out from under him. The Ravens only managed a K Billy Cundiff FG out of the field position and entered the break down 14-10.

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Indy forced another turnover on the Ravens first possession of the 2 nd half when LB Gary Brackett got in front of a forced Flacco pass just like he did in the closing minutes of their first meeting this season. He returned it all the way out to midfield to give Manning and company a short field to work with.

The Colts caught the Ravens off guard and started to utilize the power running of RB Joseph Addai. The 4 th year player out of LSU rumbled for some big yardage and capped the drive with a 6-yard scamper into the end zone to extend the Colts lead to 11-points.

After a huge kick return by KR Ladarius Webb, Flacco and the offense were in solid shape to get right back into the game. The colts “D” stepped up to the challenge however, and limited the damage to just another Cundiff FG. Indy led 21-13 through three quarters of play.

Both the Colts and Ravens had their football betting backers on the edges of their seats throughout the final quarter of play, but neither team was able to put any points on the board.

Baltimore ’s biggest threat came late in the 4 th when they got to the Colts 40, but Flacco finished off his miserable day by throwing his third INT of the game. Manning and his ground attack salted the rest of the game away, and the Colts moved onto the next round in NFL pointspread covering fashion.

 

BAL

INDY

TOTAL OFFENSE

350

423

RUSHING YARDS

133

105

PASSING YARDS

217

318

1ST DOWNS

12

18

TOTAL YARDS

518

542

TURNOVERS

3

1

3RD DOWN CONV

5/15 33%

4/15 26%

PENALTIES

8-75

5-40

TIME OF POSSESSION

26:55

33:05

Take Indianapolis (-6) -110 and Under 44 –110 in the BetOnline Sportsbook.