Will the Patriots remain the AFC’s top team?

Saturday Night Football can be admired on Saturday in the NFL – the first and only time this season, as this day is otherwise reserved for college football. So the NFL didn’t miss out on putting a special treat on this spot.

With the Colts and the Pats, two of the currently best-performing teams are dueling. The Colts have won six of their last eight games, while the Patriots are even on a seven-game winning streak.

This is why we can expect an enormously high-class matchup in which the Patriots have the slight edge. On the one hand because of their winning streak, but on the other hand also because they have a 6-0 record away from home this season.

So our prediction for Indianapolis vs. New England is a duel of equals with the better end for Bill Belichick’s Pats. They would take another step towards the No.1 seed in the AFC.

Kickoff of the rare Saturday Night Game is Sunday night at 02:20 in Indianapolis. The game will be broadcast live by DAZN.

Indianapolis Colts – Statistics & current form

The Colts started the season quite surprisingly with 1-4 wins. What they have played since then, however, reflects their actual performance level much better. Especially running back Jonathan Taylor delivers one top performance after the other.

He has already scored 16 rushing touchdowns and 1348 rushing yards this season. He is unlikely to be caught up in either statistic until the end of the season – in the absence of Derek Henry.

Defence also increasingly stable

If at the beginning of the season their offence had to pull the defence out of trouble more often than not, the balance has finally been found currently. If we disregard the 38 points conceded against Tampa (it can always happen against Tom Brady), the Colts are really good defensively.

Excluding that game, they are allowing just 10.7 points per game over the last four weeks. A huge jump from the start of the season, where they allowed over 25 points four times in the first five games. That defensive prowess is also due to the offense.

Carson Wentz has found his rhythm

Because when the defense does a good job, the offense gets more chances to shine. So does Carson Wentz, who has shed his uncertainty. He has only thrown five interceptions this season, which is among the best of all starting quarterbacks.

Only Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers have produced fewer, with four each, and they belong to the absolute QB elite. However, there is a catch to all of the Colts’ statistics: they have always looked much weaker against the top teams than against the bad-record teams.

Against the Rams, Titans or Bucs, they ended up losing and the Pats are not much weaker. On the contrary, they are currently dominating their opponents, which is why the odds on New England are our favourite betting option for Colts vs Patriots.

Key Players:
QB: Carson Wentz
RB: Jonathan Taylor
WR: Michael Pittman Jr.
TE: Jack Doyle
K: Rodrigo Blankenship

New England Patriots – stats & current form

The Patriots are the team of the hour. They have already won seven in a row, including some against top teams like the Chargers, the Titans and most recently the Bills.

Even though this game against Buffalo was very special, Mac Jones only attempted three passes, which was due to the stormy gusts that blew into the stadium in Buffalo. And so Coach Belichick relied above all on the running game – with success.

Mac Jones there when he is needed

With that, of course, Jones couldn’t improve his stats much on this day, which set him back a bit in the quarterback comparison of the league – completely through no fault of his own. In that respect, his stats should indeed be viewed with caution.

But when Jones is needed as a passer, he delivers – and more consistently from week to week. Two interceptions in the last seven games prove that he knows exactly when the risk is worth it and when it is not.

Meanwhile, the run is also working

This makes Mac Jones one of the best field generals in the NFL, just like his predecessor Brady for that matter. The fact that the Pats’ running game is also getting better and better naturally plays into his and the entire team’s hands. With 123.5 yards per game, they are now among the top 10 teams in the league.

So it could come down to a game of rush vs. rush on Saturday, as the Colts are running even slightly better. However, if the Patriots can keep up here, we see them ahead due to their much better defence. For Colts vs. Pats, a tip on New England is therefore a very “value” betting option.

Key Players:
QB: Mac Jones
RB: Damien Harris
WR: Nelson Agholor
TE: Jonnu Smith
K: Nick Folk

Indianapolis Colts – New England Patriots Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

If we have found points for both teams so far as to why they have a good chance on Saturday, there is one thing that is clearly in New England’s favour. All eight of the last direct duels have gone to the Patriots, who are thus unbeaten against Indy since 2009.

Of course, a Tom Brady was also responsible for that, but Mac Jones can now unquestionably be called a Brady 2.0 due to his effectiveness. So we see the advantages for Saturday clearly on the side of the Pats.

However, since they are considered the slight underdogs (which is very surprising), odds can be taken on the Patriots for Indy vs. New England. We don’t even have to handicap them for top value.

Indianapolis Colts – New England Patriots Tip

We have already declared the running game as an important point, but there is one more point that will be crucial on Saturday and that is the defence. Here the Pats allow an average of 6.4 points less than the Colts – a small world in the NFL.

So we can’t help but see the Patriots as favourites, even if Indy is a little better offensively. For Colts vs. Patriots, however, a bet on New England is without alternative from a betting basis point of view.

Those who don’t quite trust the Pats in this matchup can also lean towards total points. Betting on subpar points has always been an option in Pats games lately, and that’s true again for next Saturday.