The Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are the type of football team to lean on running the ball and defense for victories. With another home contest for the Colts upcoming against the Steelers, it will probably be a close battle with an old-school-type feel. ESPN believes betting the under for overall points (40) is ‘automatic,’ especially when dealing with a Steelers game. Here’s what Anita Marks had to say.
“Taking the under in Steelers games should be automatic at this point. The Steelers travel to Indianapolis in Week 4 to face a Colts team that struggled against the Bears this past weekend. Anthony Richardson is one-dimensional and has struggled to get the football to his own players (six interceptions).”
– Anita Marks | ESPN
Marks points out a tough, but true statistic for Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Currently, the second-year QB leads the NFL with 6 interceptions. Richardson is also 36/73 passing, putting him under 50% (49.3%), which tops the league with his interceptions. The Colts are likely planning to run the football plenty with Jonathan Taylor to alleviate pressure from the young QB. Given how elite Indy’s offensive line has played, it makes perfect sense to try and pound the rock.
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But that won’t be an easy task with Pittsburgh’s defense featuring notable stars like safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Cam Heyward, and linebacker T.J. Watt. Indianapolis must continue to protect Richardson and get the ground game rolling or risk further turnovers through the air. As for the Colts’ defense, they rebounded, but against a putrid Chicago Bears offense.
This time, quarterback Justin Fields takes the offensive reins with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren in the backfield. He also has George Pickens as a big-play receiving threat and can move the ball with his legs for huge gains outside the pocket. While Pittsburgh has struggled with their offensive line in the past, Fields and Mike Tomlin look great sitting at 3-0 to start 2024.
ESPN likely has this bet locked down, as both teams aren’t trying to score as quickly as possible given their run-first nature. However, anything can happen with explosive quarterbacks like Fields and Richardson taking the gridiron, so we’ll see if the ‘automatic’ bet from ESPN lands after Sunday’s game concludes.
