Stampede Blue
Another season of Opening Odds is in the books. While it isn’t the way any of us would like to see the season end, I hope you enjoyed it. The Indianapolis Colts are set to conclude their season with a rather meaningless road contest against the Houston Texans who ended the Colts’ season Saturday night. It was one of the biggest up and down seasons we have seen, and FanDuel Sportsbook sees the Colts going out with a whimper. The losing streak is predicted to continue with the Colts at +10.5 in the spread.
The money line is set at +480 while the over/under comes in at 39.5
Even though the Colts played Sunday, their season ended on Saturday thanks to the Texans. With something on the line, the results might have been different, but the Colts didn’t appear they would have used the gift from the Texans anyway. It was a solid effort from the Colts that saw them leading late in the third, but serving as a microcosm of the season, when things got tight, no one rose to the occasion. Too many times this team was a play or two away from claiming victory, but the hero it needed never emerged. Thus was the case on Sunday as the Jaguars scored the last nine points and set themselves up nicely to win the AFC South.
The Texans looked the part as they made the Chargers look pedestrian. The Chargers had won seven out of their last eight and had a shot at the AFC West crown. Everything was on the line, and they laid an absolute egg. Give credit to Houston who came out firing, needing seven plays on the first two drives to score fourteen. C.J. Stroud and the offense pretty much shut it down after that, but the defense made sure it was enough. The Chargers were limited to three points in the first half and their normally reliable kicker, Cameron Dicker, missed a 32-yard field goal and an extra point. That proved to be the difference and gave the Texans a playoff berth and a shot at the division.
For a team that had aspirations and looked like it had finally found something, week eighteen leaves more questions than answers. It is difficult rooting against your team, but what does a win really do besides cost draft position? Would it be nice to deny the Texans the AFC South at the hands of the Colts? Maybe. Would it be nice to move up another spot or two in the draft order? Unfortunately, just like too many seasons, the answer is yes.
