Arizona’s season continued to take a rapid decline last week as their embarrassing 30-12 loss in Detroit cost them a chance to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2015.  The Cardinals will look to get back on track and improve their poor home record on Saturday when they host the Colts.  Indianapolis is looking strong down the stretch and come into State Farm Stadium following a 27-17 win over the Patriots last week.

Arizona opened as a 5-point favourite to win on the NFL odds, but the line has fluctuated and the game is hovering around a pick’em as of Thursday afternoon.  The total is set at 49.5.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

It’s a rare meeting between these teams as they haven’t played since Arizona rolled out of Indy with a 16-13 overtime win in September 2017.  That result hasn’t swayed Sports Interaction bettors, with about 70 per cent of action taking the Colts.  The total is a closer split, with the Over/Under skewed around 60/40 in favour of the Over.

The Colts are making a run for the AFC South title and sit just one game back of Tennessee.  Indianapolis has won five of their last six games overall and they’re a healthy 4-2 on the road this season.  They’ve gone 9-5 against the spread for the season and covered in their last five road contests.  The total has gone Over in five of the Colts’ last six games against NFC opponents.

Arizona’s has surprisingly struggled at home this season, where they’re 4-4 on the year and have lost three straight games.  They’re 9-5 ATS overall and have failed to cover in four of six home dates.  The total has gone Over in four of the Cardinals’ last six games.

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis has quietly been one of the NFL’s top teams since October, winning eight of 12 games in that time, with two of those losses coming in overtime.  After breaking New England’s seven-game win streak last week, it might be time to look at the Colts as legitimate contenders.  Running back Jonathan Taylor has skyrocketed up the NFL MVP odds, sitting with the third-best odds to win at +670.  A non-quarterback hasn’t won the MVP since running back Adrian Peterson did it with Minnesota in 2012.  Taylor racked up 170 rushing yards and ran for a score for the 11th straight game last week, surpassing 100 rushing yards for the eighth time in 11 games.  No other running back is within 300 yards of Taylor this season.

One offensive concern is the lack of production from quarterback Carson Wentz.  Wentz was just 5-for-12 against the Patriots, finishing with 57 passing yards with one touchdown and interception each.  It’s the fourth time in the last five games that Wentz has failed to pass for more than 180 yards.

Arizona Cardinals

After opening the season 7-0, the Cardinals have now dropped four of their last seven games following the embarrassing loss to Detroit last week.  Quarterback Kyler Murray looked shaky against the Lions, going 23-of-41 for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  Christian Kirk picked up 94 receiving yards and a score, while Chase Edmonds led Arizona’s running backs with 53 yards on six carries.

Instead of clinching a playoff spot last week, the Cardinals’ loss dropped them from first to fourth in the NFC and they now lead the Rams by just a single game in the NFC West.  There’s still a few scenarios that would see Arizona earn a playoff berth this week, but they’ll require some other playoff contenders to lose or tie.  Clinching a playoff spot this week would be huge for the Cardinals as they’ll be without star receiver DeAndre Hopkins (knee) for the rest of the regular season and into January.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Colts vs. Cardinals?