NFL Week 3 Sunday Night Colts at Cardinals Preview and Prediction

The Week 3 Sunday Night game should be a good one as the Indianapolis Colts travel to Arizona to take on the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Odds-makers in Las Vegas made Arizona 2.5 point favorites to open the week but the line has fluctuated at the off shore books and there are some discrepancies in the lines posted by these sports books. Most have Arizona favored by 2.5 but a few have them at minus 3 yet there are a couple that have Arizona at only minus 1.5. If you are planning to make a wager on this game be sure to shop around to get the best value for your money (see latest NFL Odds).

As for the game, Peyton Manning and the Colts are coming off a dramatic come from behind victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. The Colts won 27-23 and were four solid four point favorites throughout the week yet the line dropped down to 3 at most books on Monday afternoon. Therefore, some Colts backers won and some pushed. However, after that win the Colts now have a short week to focus on the Cardinals who are coming off a dominating win over Jacksonville on the road. The Cardinals cashed as 3 point road chalk as they won by a count of 33-17.

Indy is in a tough spot as it is always difficult to play two tough road games in a row especially on a short week. However, a team that has Peyton Manning at the quarterback position can never be completely dismissed. Manning has thrown for 604 yards and 3 touchdowns. However, the Colts have been completely one dimensional as they haven’t been able to get any kind of a run game going with Joseph Addai or rookie Donald Brown. They are averaging 294 yards a game through the air but just 66 yards on the ground. Not only have they not been able to run the ball but they’ve also had trouble stopping the run, giving up an average 176 yards a game on the ground. These two areas have to improve for Indianapolis to get a big road win against a good team like the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals too have had trouble running the ball and have relied heavily on their own star quarterback Kurt Warner. With the weak run defense of the Colts, I do expect to see Arizona use Chris Wells and Tim Hightower a little more this week. The only problem is these two have only able to up an average of 79 yards a game in the first two games. The biggest concern for the Cardinals is whether or not their pass defense can hold up against Peyton Manning. They have allowed offenses to throw the ball all over them and have surrendered an average of 231 yards passing on defense.

These two teams are very similar as they have great passing games but struggle to run the football. Defensively, the Colts can’t stop the run and the Cardinals can’t stop the past. So something has got to give on Sunday night when these two square off. Arizona does have an advantage playing at home against a team who is coming off a hard fought road win on a short week. If the Cardinals can slow down Peyton Manning and company, they should win this game. If not, it could be a long day for this defense.

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