Slam dunk it was not
Colts missed a layup in the opener. Everybody thought it would be an easy win for them in Jacksonville, but Jaguars showed that they are not planning to tank for Lawrence or Fields in next year's draft. Bringing Philipp Rivers did make their passing attack better, compared to last year. But also made their offense a bit too pass happy and unbalanced. Nearly 70/30 split in favor of passing in a neutral game is not what this Colts team is about. They have a great OL and a couple of solid running backs that are capable of racking some serious yardage on the ground. Not using them and attacking Jags defensive weakness was very bizare and probably what cost them a game in the end.
DeForest Buckner was another pricey addition in the offseason. But unfortunately, their defense didn't look much better on the field. They struggled in the trenches, where the JAX offensive line had their number and was constantly opening lanes for rookie James Robinson. Gardner Minshew showed what he can do with better pass blocking (something he didn't have last year). He was extremely precise and missed his target only once in 20 attempts, for an astonishing 95% completion percentage. Colts defense will have to step up in Week 2, otherwise, it's gonna be a long season for them.
Spreading it around
Speaking of defenses that need to step up, we've got two in this game. Minnesota allowed 43 points in the opener to their divisional rival - The Green Bay Packers. I know one thing. Mike Zimmer was not happy with that performance. This unit is in a transitional phase, because they lost many leaders that were key contributors in previous years, but that is not going to be an excuse. He expects much more for his defense and I expect a better effort this time around. Also, Aaron Rodgers and his offense are not that easy to contain when they get going, so the Vikings will get a benefit of a doubt for now.
But their offensive production was not that bad. There were some questions about how this group will look after losing offensive coordinator and their star receiver (Stefon Diggs) in the offseason. But Kirk Cousins managed to spread the ball around nicely, throwing for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns (1 INT). They are probably planning to feed the ball to Dalvin Cook more in the future (12 carries, 50 yards), but that was not possible when being down a couple of touchdowns in the second half of week 1.
Colts vs Vikings betting tips
Despite disappointing performance the previous week, Indianapolis are still getting a lot of credit from bookmakers and the market. I can't say I'm buying it for now. Colts did solve some of their problems in the passing game by signing Rivers, but new problems emerged. They became too pass-happy and predictable. Also, Rivers doesn't have the arm anymore to use some of that vertical speed that Colts receivers possess. And some of his throws under pressure are way too risky, which resulted in two interceptions last week and will result in another two on sunday, if he doesn't improve in that segment.
Defensively, that secondary is thin as I wrote in my season preview already. It showed vs Jacksonville and they will get exposed against any other decent passing offense. There will be many favorable matchups in the passing game for the Vikings. All that Cousins needs to do is to pick the right one.
Also, don't forget to check out our new feature for comparing outright odds. If you're interested in who is the favorite to win NFC North division and what are the odds for Minnesota to overcome the opening loss and comes back to win it all, you can check it with this link: https://theplayer.com/odds/american-football/usa/nfl/nfl-nfc-division-north-winner-reg-season
ps. Obviously, the pick is Minnesota +3.5 as you could figure out by the help of the odds that I submited. Can't edit the bet after the placement, because of the lock.
