Giants Host Colts On Monday Night Football
Andrew Luck meets the New York Giants for the first time on Monday night.
Monday Night Football returns to the Garden State tonight as the New York Giants host the Indianapolis Colts in an inter-conference game between playoff hopefuls.
Kickoff at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Both teams will be looking to return to winning ways after losses in their most recent fixtures. The stakes certainly look to be higher for one team though.
The Story So Far
New York (3-4, 2-1 home) will be hoping a return home will be enough to put the halters on a two game losing skid.
After losses to divisional rivals the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 and 8 respectively, the Giants will hope that a bye week and a return home will be enough to change the team’s fortunes one more.
The Giants bounced back from a 0-2 start to the season with three straight wins in which the team looked like it might be emerging as a threat in the NFC East, but those divisional losses have put the Giants in a tough position. There is light ahead though.
With both the Eagles and Cowboys facing potential problems at the quarterback position, a steady run over the next few weeks could see Tom Coughlin’s side climb back into the mix. The Giants will need a win on Monday night to get things started, or face an even tougher challenge going forward.
Indianapolis (5-3, 2-2 road) will have less riding on Monday night’s game courtesy of a 3-0 record within the division. The Colts are the runaway pick in the AFC South which means a postseason berth is almost a lock.
But that won’t stop Chuck Pagano’s side looking to leave the Meadowlands with a victory.
Just a week ago, the Colts found themselves on the end of a 51-34 shellacking by Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Steelers handed a similar fate to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football last night, the Colts genuinely believe they’re better than that Week 8 result.
Prior to last Sunday, Indianapolis had reeled off five straight victories to earn the reputation of being one of the AFC’s genuine contenders. They’ll want to put in a good performance against the Giants to prove that assessment is correct.
Head-to-Head
The Colts lead the all-time head-to-head series 10-6, including championship victories in 1958 and 1959.
However, the Colts are just 3-3 against the Giants since moving to Indianapolis in 1984.
The Colts are 7-3 against the Giants when playing on the road, including 2-1 since making the move to the Circle City.
Indianapolis has won two straight meetings between the sides, but both came with Peyton Manning under center. Andrew Luck will be facing the Giants for the first time in his short career on Monday night.
New York’s last home win over the Colts came on December 12, 1993. The Colts have won two in New Jersey since then.
The most recent meeting between the sides came in Indianapolis on September 19, 2010, with the Colts winning 38-14 for a second straight win. Will they make it three straight on Monday?
The only previous Monday night meeting between the sides came in 1990, a game the Giants won on the road.
Injury Report
Defensive tackle Arthur Jones (ankle) and linebackers Josh McNary (ankle) and Erik Walden (quadriceps) are all out for Indianapolis.
Cornerback Vontae Davis (knee) and wide receiver Reggie Wayne (elbow) are amongst those Colts listed as probable.
For New York, running back Rashad Jennings (knee) and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (calf) are both out. Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (back) is listed as questionable, while defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder) is probable.
Check out the full injury list
Rashad Jennings (knee) will miss Monday night’s game against the Colts.
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Giants odds for 11/03/2014
Moneyline: Indianapolis (-166) opened as the favorite over New York (+155) on the moneyline, and remains a stable favorite.
Indianapolis has won three of the last four head-to-head meetings and will be confident of success in New Jersey on Monday night.
The Giants are 1-0 against AFC opposition this season, thanks to a 30-17 victory over Indianapolis’ division rivals, the Houston Texans.
The Colts are 0-1 against NFC opposition this season after dropping a Monday Night Football clash with Philadelphia in Week 2.
Spread: The spread opened at 3 in favor of the Colts, and has climbed to 3.5 with most sportsbooks.
Indianapolis (6-2-0 ATS) has been strong against the spread this season. Last week’s loss to Pittsburgh snapped a five-game winning streak against the spread.
New York (3-4-0 ATS) meanwhile has proven equally inconsistent against the spread as straight up.
The Giants are 2-1-0 ATS at home this season, while the Colts are 3-1-0 ATS on the road.
The Colts are 3-1-0 ATS in their last four meetings with the Giants.
Total: The total opened at 50.5 and now sits at 51 with most sportsbooks.
Both Indianapolis (6-2-0 O/U) and New York (4-3-0 O/U) have favored the over this season.
Indianapolis has seen the over pay out in all four of its road games this season, while the under has paid out twice in three Giants’ home games.
The over has paid out in three of the last four head-to-head meetings.
The total has gone over in seven of the nine Monday Night Football games played this season.
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