The first Saturday action in the NFL 2021 season takes place this week and we have an enormous clash in the AFC to enjoy as the Indianapolis Colts play host to the New England Patriots in a contest which will have all sorts of postseason connotations attached to it.
New England Patriots can move to within a win of the AFC East title if they come out on top here while the Indianapolis Colts will edge closer to the Tennessee Titans if they are able to leave this match with a win.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts were 3-5 for their season five weeks ago and seemingly going nowhere even though they had an MVP candidate in Jonathan Taylor. Since then they have won four out of their last five matches and at the very least have put themselves heavily in the mix for a wildcard spot this term if they can’t chase down the Titans in the AFC South. The wildcard picture is so tight in the AFC though that they don’t have a lot of wiggle room so a win here is a must really.
The Colts have ridden the form of running back Jonathan Taylor but why wouldn’t they? He’s been in brilliant form and has taken some of the pressure away from Carson Wentz, meaning he only really needs to be serviceable to get this team in a good position. One area of concern is their defence can have very ordinary matches and when those come along they pretty much kill themselves. It goes without saying that they can’t afford to do that here.
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New England Patriots
The New England Patriots were another side going nowhere. They were 2-4 and struggling to impose themselves on anyone in the league. They had a rookie quarterback who was being a little safer than was required and a defence which wasn’t helping him out all that much. Things clicked all of a sudden though and they went into the bye week last week on a seven match winning burst, one which had them as the number one seed in the Conference until Kansas City’s overtime win on Thursday night.
The big difference in their upturn in form is that they have got their defence sorted out. That is now arguably the best in the league and in turn that has allowed them to establish a running game and ensure Mac Jones just needs to be a safe pair of hands and not having to push the boat out making flashy plays. The Patriots laid down their title credentials last time out when they grounded and pounded their way past the Buffalo Bills.
Betting
I respect the Indianapolis Colts but I’ve got to think that the New England Patriots defence will be sent out with the intention of shutting down Jonathan Taylor and make Carson Wentz beat them through the air and I’m not convinced he will be able to do that. This Patriots defence is playing some lights out football at the minute but you can’t say the same about the Colts, or at least they aren’t doing it as consistently or as reliably.
Given that this Colts defence can be gashed and the Patriots have a balanced enough offense to either get at it through the air or on the ground which makes me think that they are attractive outsiders in this match. We know from experience that this is the time the Patriots tend to come to the party and off a bye week with two weeks to prepare for what is a pretty big match I expect them to come away with the victory here.
Tips
Back New England Patriots to beat Indianapolis Colts for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Bet365
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