Can the Bucs stop Taylor?

The Indianapolis Colts are the team of the moment in the NFL. They have won five of their last six matches, bringing their record to six wins and five losses. On Sunday night, however, head coach Frank Reich’s team will be up against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

In the run-up to the Colts’ clash against the Buccaneers, the odds are clearly in favour of the visitors, who have won seven of their ten games so far this season and still have the personified guarantee of victory on their side in Tom Brady. Even if two of the past three matches were lost by the defending champions, the implied role of favourite is of course quite understandable.

Some risks still need to be considered between the Colts and the Bucs in terms of prediction. For example, it will be interesting to see how Tampa Bay’s traditionally strong run defence will handle the league’s current best and most successful running back, Jonathan Taylor. In addition, it must also be a matter of protecting their own quarterback Carson Wentz as best as possible and allowing few sacks.

In any case, we can expect an intense and exciting match, which German viewers can also follow live on Free TV on ProSieben Maxx. For DAZN subscribers, the match can be seen in the German conference “ENDZN”. Kick-off is at 19:00 Central European Winter Time.

Indianapolis Colts – Statistics & current form

After four losses in the first five days of play, Indianapolis Colts supporters already feared that the topic of the playoffs this season could degenerate into wishful thinking early on. In the meantime, however, fans are confident and optimistic that they will make it to the postseason.

The main reason for the new euphoria is the impressive record of five wins from the last six games. To put this into perspective, however, it has to be said that the really big names were not among the opponents. Among others, there were clear victories against the Dolphins, the Jets, the Jaguars or the Texans. The Colts celebrated their only statement success the previous week in a 41:15 win over the Bills.

Can Tampa Bay get a handle on Jonathan Taylor?

The question is whether head coach Frank Reich’s team will be able to repeat this strong performance or whether they will reach their limits against a good defensive team like the Buccaneers. This cannot be completely ruled out, as the Buccaneers’ own offence stands and falls with running back Jonathan Taylor.

The 22-year-old superstar of the team reached 100+ scrimmage yards in five of the last six games. In the previous week, he scored five touchdowns alone! Over the season, he already stands at 15 touchdowns and just under 1500 scrimmage yards.

The dependence on Taylor can still be Indianapolis’ undoing on Sunday night, especially since the Bucs are known for having one of the strongest run defenses in the league. If they can get a reasonable grip on Taylor, we don’t think Carson Wentz at quarterback will decide the game in the hosts’ favour. Consequently, betting on the Brady team to win is an option between the Colts and Buccaneers.

Projected Indianapolis Colts lineup:
QB: Carson Wentz
RB: Jonathan Taylor
WR: Michael Pittman
WR: TY Hilton
TE: Jack Doyle
K: Michael Badgley

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – stats & recent form

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ little dip in form seems to have ended. After the defending champions surprisingly lost twice in a row to the Saints and the Washington Football Team, Tom Brady and Co. returned to winning ways in the previous week with an absolutely convincing 30:10 victory over the New York Giants.

Once again, it was the defence that left its mark on the game. Especially against the run, the Bucs are extremely strong. Opposing running backs are allowed an average of less than four yards per carry (3.8 – second in the NFL). In total, it is only 78.4 yards that the respective opponent can score on the ground against Tampa Bay. In fact, the Southerners lead the entire National Football League in this category.

Can Brady cool off the Colts offense?

Another point worth mentioning to justify odds on the away win between the Colts and Buccaneers is aimed at Tom Brady keeping the Indianapolis offense off the field as long as possible with his many short passes. The “GOAT” has made at least one interception in each of the last three games, but he still leads his team down the field like no other.

In view of the good performance from the previous week as well as their own strengths, which fit the opponent well, a prediction on the success of the favourite is absolutely obvious between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Those squinting in the direction of the player specials can find exciting odds via the Bet365 app, among others, that Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Rob Gronkowski, Brady’s three favourite receivers, will add some yards to the stat sheet. Especially with the secondary, the Colts will have trouble against strong pass receivers.

Projected Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineup:
QB: Tom Brady
RB: Leonard Fournette
WR: Mike Evans
WR: Chris Godwin
TE: Rob Gronkowski
K: Ryan Succop

Indianapolis Colts – Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The last time these two teams faced each other was in December 2019. The Bucs narrowly won 38-35 in a shoot-out, but the Colts came out on top three times in the previous four games. Admittedly, these duels from the past are merely wastepaper, as they took place under different circumstances. There is no rivalry either, as they usually only face each other every two to four years in the regular season.

Indianapolis Colts – Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tip

One of the most interesting and possibly most spectacular matches of NFL Week 12 awaits us on Sunday night from 19:00 (live on DAZN and ProSieben Maxx). The Indianapolis Colts will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to the betting odds, the reigning champions are the favourites, although they have lost two of their last three games.

So looking at their isolated form based on recent results, the Colts, who have won five of their past six matches, have to be trusted, although much of the aforementioned success has come against typical loser teams in the league.

In our eyes, it is therefore more appropriate to give greater weight to other factors. For example, the Bucs have one of the best run defenses in the NFL, which could be a positive against the Colts’ biggest strength, the running game. In addition, it can be assumed that Tom Brady will “dissect” the Colts’ vulnerable secondary with long drives.

We therefore decide between the Colts and the Bucs to bet on Tampa Bay winning and scoring a maximum of 60 points in the game. The latter is justified by the fact that the Colts’ primary running game takes a lot of time off the clock and Tom Brady will also place a lot of value on exhausting his own drives in view of the opponent’s offensive strength. In principle, therefore, a single bet can also be placed on the under.