AFC South: Week 13 Preview
Andrew Luck will look to lead the Indianapolis Colts one step closer to the AFC South title Sunday as the team hosts the Tennessee Titans.
Week 13 in the NFL got off in style with Thursday’s Thanksgiving triple-header which featured more than enough headlines to get excited about. Now Sunday arrives with the crux of the schedule and plenty of games that will make a huge impact.
BettingSports.com previews Week 13 in the AFC South, a division that could be very close to being wrapped up by Sunday evening.
Can Chris Johnson and the Titans upset the Colts?
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN, 1:00 p.m. ET (matchup)
Two weeks ago, the Indianapolis Colts (7-4, 3-2 home) defeated the Tennessee Titans (5-7, 3-2 road) on Thursday Night Football to grab a huge advantage in the AFC South standings. The two sides meet again Sunday with the Colts knowing that a win will essentially sew up the division title and a playoff berth.
Week 10’s win over the Titans was bookended by a pair of losses though, and not just any losses; convincing defeats. First the St. Louis Rams humiliated the Colts 38-8 in Week 9 and then last weekend the Arizona Cardinals handed Chuck Pagano’s side a crushing 40-11 defeat. If these are the Colts we can expect to see over the coming weeks, Indianapolis won’t be celebrating for very long.
Maybe a return to the AFC South will help. The Colts are currently 3-0 in divisional play, although two of those victories came by just three points. Then again, all of those games were played on the road, which means the team has three left at home against the worst division in football, a good way to build momentum heading to the postseason.
Tennessee would be happy just to make it into January. Inconsistency has been a problem this year, but then so have injuries. As it stands, the Titans are in a dogfight for what looks like a solitary wild card berth. As many as eight teams have a legitimate shot at that berth though, which makes beating the Colts on Sunday essential.
The Titans will have some confidence leading into this one. Two weeks ago the side led the Colts 17-3 but failed to hang on for the win. A quick start and then buckling down for the long haul on Sunday could be enough to upset a team that is reeling.
Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts odds for 12/01/2013
Indianapolis (-195) opened as the favorite over Tennessee (+170) on the moneyline, but the Colts’ poor form of late means the gap isn’t as big as it might have been.
The Colts have historically dominated this series, owning a 24-14 advantage all-time and a 17-7 record since the Titans moved from Houston. Indianapolis has also taken nine of the last 10 meetings.
The spread opened at 4. Indianapolis (6-5-0 ATS) and Tennessee (6-4-1 ATS) have both been inconsistent against the spread, and both have failed to cover in two of the last three. Indianapolis covered in the Week 11 matchup between the sides. The Colts have covered in four of their last five games against the Titans in Indianapolis.
The over/under opened at 45 and is hovering around 45.5 ahead of kickoff. Both Indianapolis (7-4-0) and Tennessee (7-3-1) have favored the over this season, a trend that showed in their Week 11 showdown. However, the total has gone under in 13 of the last 17 meetings between the AFC South rivals, including seven of eight played in Indianapolis.
With the Texans at 2-9, some are calling for Gary Kubiak’s exit from Houston.
New England Patriots at Houston Texans
Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX, 1:00 p.m. ET (matchup)
Sat rock bottom in the AFC with nine losses on the bounce, the Houston Texans (2-9, 1-5 home) will be happy when 2013 draws to a close. In fact, after last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, you might have forgiven the team for forfeiting the rest of the season in favor of watching the Rockets.
Of course, the Texans will take the field these next five Sundays, with head coach Gary Kubiak potentially looking to save his job and a plethora of players doing likewise. And there’s still the role of spoiler to be played.
Houston’s first shot at spoiling comes Sunday against the AFC East-leading New England Patriots (8-3, 2-3 road) who will look to earn a first round bye over the next few weeks.
While last year’s pair of matchups between the sides proved to be high-profile affairs, the luster has been scoured off this game, but an upset for the Texans would ensure this became an important game. The Patriots have struggled somewhat on the road this season, something Houston could take advantage of if it can reintroduce the running game. Ben Tate had just one yard against the Jaguars last weekend.
Of course, the Texans will also need to fend off Tom Brady and a New England offense that has come alive in recent weeks. Then there’s the fact that the Patriots arrive having scored a huge moral-inflating win over the Denver Broncos last week. Houston will be up against the wall in this one.
New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans odds for 12/01/2013
Houston (+310) opened as the underdog to New England (-370) but the moneyline has tightened a little since.
The Texans are 1-4 all-time against the Patriots, with that one win coming at Reliant Stadium on January 3, 2010. The Patriots have won two games since.
The spread opened at 7.5 but most sportsbooks currently have it at 7. New England (6-5-0 ATS) has been okay against the spread but Houston (2-9-0 ATS) is the NFL’s worst team against the spread. The Texans are 1-4-0 ATS against the Patriots all-time, making them a questionable bet in this one.
The over/under opened at 46 and has climbed to 48. Houston (7-4-0) has favored the over this season, while New England (5-6-0) has favored the under. The total has gone over in all five meetings between these sides, something well worth keeping in mind ahead of this one.
The Jaguars haven’t won two in a row since 2010. Will that change Sunday?
Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns
FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, OH, 1:00 p.m. ET (matchup)
With two wins in three weeks, the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9, 2-4 road) have matched their entire win tally for last season. One more win and the northern Florida ground will really start to shake.
The Jaguars visit a Cleveland Browns (4-7, 3-3 home) side that is still on the fringe of the postseason race. A loss on Sunday and the Browns would certainly change that.
With Jason Campbell ruled out following a concussion in last week’s game, the Browns will start quarterback Brandon Weeden. Weeden received a chorus of boos to mark his entrance into the game. Another hostile welcome like that from the Cleveland fans could give the Jaguars an unexpected advantage in what is likely to be a tight, bruising and probably not all that well played game at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The Jaguars may well like their chances heading into this one, although bettors would do well to proceed with caution; Jacksonville hasn’t won consecutive games since December 2010, a year in which the team finished a respectable 8-8.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns odds for 12/01/2013
Jacksonville (+260) opened as an underdog to Cleveland (-260), despite having won its last two on the road.
Jacksonville is 9-5 all-time against Cleveland but has struggled more recently, losing five of the last eight meetings between the teams, including the last two played in Cleveland.
The spread opened at 7 where it firmly remains. The Browns (5-6-0 ATS) have fared marginally better that the Jaguars (3-8-0 ATS) against the spread this season, although the Jaguars have covered twice in three weeks. The Jaguars are 2-4-0 ATS in their last six meetings with the Browns.
The over/under opened at 40.5 and has slipped to 40 ahead of kickoff. Jacksonville (6-5-0) has marginally favored the over while Cleveland (5-5-1) has split the over/under evenly. The total has gone under in four of the Jaguars’ last six visits to Cleveland.
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