Year of the Underdog: The 2018 Colts Story

It has been a steep decline the past three seasons for the Indianapolis Colts, after appearing in the AFC Championship game during the 2014 season, the Colts proceeded to go 8-8, 8-8, and 4-12. After cleaning house, the 2018 Colts are ready to bounce back and take steps to become a contender again, but Vegas may not think so. I took the time to look up some of the odds the 2018 Colts have, and a few stuck out:

Over(-140)/under( +110) 6.5 Wins

After only winning a small four games in 2017, Vegas doesn’t think the Colts have much of a chance of returning to their Andrew Luck lead form. I do believe this is a fair bet, as the Colts are much improved but there is going to be some growing pains with a young roster and new coaching staff. Vegas does think the Colts are more likely to hit the over instead of the under, as shown in their odds on the win total. I would recommend taking the over, as a healthy Andrew Luck should get the Colts to 7-8 wins easily.

+7000 to win Super Bowl

These are small odds to win the Super Bowl, which even the most optimistic Colts fan probably agree is more than fair. This team isn’t ready to win the Super Bowl yet, maybe next year.

+375 to Win AFC South

The +375 places the Colts the fourth most likely to win the division, which is understandable considering their recent form and the stacked rosters of some of the other AFC south teams. The Colts will be better than many people and experts think, but winning the division will still be a crap shoot in 2018. There are a lot of unknowns this year in the AFC South, two new coaching staffs, two recovering QBs, among some other roster retooling. Anyone of the teams could get hot and take the division, and that team is probably just as likely to implode and finish the year with double-digit losses. It will be an exciting year in the AFC south for sure. I am not too confident in the Colts chances of winning the division, but I also wouldn’t put them as the worst chance of winning as well.

+325 to Make Playoffs

The only have a slightly better chance of making the playoffs as winning the division, which to be perfectly honest is selling the Colts short. They may not be able to take their division, but in a pretty weak AFC, an 8-8 record may be enough to steal the sixth wild-card spot, and 9-7/10-6 would almost certainly secure a playoff spot. I am not proclaiming the Colts will make the playoffs but at those odds? It’s definitely worth the wager.

Andrew Luck MVP +3000

This bet is intriguing as the MVP award can sometimes be a fickle award, for better or worse. A lot of the time narratives drive the award and depending on how the season plays out that could go to benefit Luck. If Luck has a year as good or better than his 2016 season, and throw close to 4500 yards, the high 30s in touchdowns, and around ten picks, he is going to make some waves. Many experts and fans alike have written Luck off as a viable NFL player let alone an elite level talent as well as the whole Colts roster as well, so a top-five QB year would seem like a superhuman comeback for the 28-year-old, launching him into the top of the MVP conversation. I wouldn’t bet the house on this, but with such lopsided odds, it could be worth a throw in a wager.

Andrew Luck NFL Passing Yards Leader +2750

This bet is the one I would run with no questions asked as Vegas thinks Luck and Patrick Mahomes have the same chance to lead the league in passing yards in 2018. These odds are a massive insult to the Colts QB, as Luck had already led the league in passing and was fourth in passing yards per game in 2016 with a bum shoulder. If Luck is better than ever, it would be a safe bet that he will return to the upper echelon in passing stats. With a new offensive minded coach, a revamped offensive line, a weak schedule, and a bevy of weapons, although some unproven, at his disposal, Luck is in prime position to retake the passing title.

Article by: Maxx Hotton

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