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NFL football betting odds on the Indianapolis Colts vs. Cleveland Browns game opened at Colts -4 as the away favorite. You can now get them as high as -5 but if you're looking to place a bet on Indianapolis, you'll be wanting to do so on the -4 ½ line found at nearly half the online sportsbooks. BetUS.com had the Colts at -4 ½ still Saturday morning.
Suddenly, Indianapolis is starting to look like the team we all know and love, having won their last 4 games, two against very solid teams (New England and Pittsburgh) and two more against teams that are competitive and arguably better than their records suggest (Houston and San Diego).
But here is an interesting fact to ponder over: The Colts have won each of their last four games by no more than 6 points and three of those four games were won by less than the current 4 ½ point spread. Indianapolis is a shocking 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following an ATS win. They are also 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Cleveland is 14-3 ATS vs. a team with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS loss. There is one stat that really stands out against Cleveland and it is somewhat important perhaps emphasizing the Browns unwillingness to play solid football towards the end of the season when they are under .500. This team is 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games during Week 13.
The Colts are 4-0 in this series since 1999 but they have not beaten Cleveland by more than a touchdown.
If Brady Quinn can't go, the Browns will be forced to return to former starter Derek Anderson, who was benched following eight games of less than stellar play. Anderson completed 35 percent of his passes with one interception in place of Quinn last Sunday.
After a difficult start to the year following a pair of preseason procedures on his left knee, Manning has been more efficient in November, throwing nine touchdowns and one interception in four games while completing 65.4 percent of his passes. He completed a season-high 32 passes against the Chargers as Indianapolis converted 10 of 17 third downs.
"We probably still won't (win the division), but what we have to do is make (the Titans) continue to play, so we've got to keep winning so they have to keep winning," Dungy said. "We'll see what happens."
Indianapolis will continue to play without two of its offensive linemen. Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday is expected to miss three to four weeks with a calf strain he sustained in San Diego, while guard Ryan Lilja was ruled out for the season this week after missing the first 11 games with a knee problem.
Starting safety Bob Sanders has also missed the last two games with a knee injury.
Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com
