Lions vs. Colts NFL Preseason Betting Odds, Picks: Anthony Richardson starting for Indianapolis
The Detroit Lions will travel to Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday afternoon to close out the preseason against the Indianapolis Colts, a matchup that offers a clearer look at Indy’s backup quarterback picture than most other finales around the league. Cutdown day looms a day later, as rosters are required to be trimmed to 53 by Sunday.
Detroit enters 1-1 this summer, having dropped the opener to Cincinnati 16-14 before rebounding with a 17-13 win over Washington in which the Lions’ defence held the Commanders to just six points and 35 rushing yards.
Indianapolis sits at 0-1-1, having tied New England 13-13 in the opener before getting blown out 34-6 by Atlanta last weekend, a game in which neither QB Riley Leonard nor Anthony Richardson could get anything going.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell has already confirmed QB Jared Goff won’t play, continuing to lean on the Josh Dobbs-Luke Altmyer competition for the backup job.
Indianapolis, meanwhile, is doing something a little different for a finale: Shane Steichen has laid out a full rotation that will actually put Anthony Richardson on the field with several of the Colts’ first-team pieces for about a quarter, even with Daniel Jones sitting out entirely.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on TSN.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Indianapolis is a -3.5 home favourite on the NFL odds, while the Lions are +3.5 road underdogs, with the total settling at 35.5. The over is juiced to -115, while the under carries a -105 price. The Colts sit at -175 on the moneyline, with Detroit priced at +145.
Unlike most preseason Week 3 matchups where both sides are turning things over to third and fourth-stringers, the market has taken note of the fact that Richardson will start alongside real starting-caliber teammates for Indianapolis, even briefly. Meanwhile, Detroit’s plan is business as usual: reserves from start to finish.
Detroit Lions
Goff isn’t the only one that’s been kept out of the preseason entirely; that group consists of RB Jahmyr Gibbs, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR Jameson Williams and DE Aidan Hutchinson as well. You can expect that trend to continue Saturday. The real intrigue remains Dobbs against Altmyer for the backup job behind Goff. Dobbs was 7-of-12 for 74 yards with an interception and a fumble against Washington, but salvaged the day with a 50-yard touchdown run in the first half. Altmyer, an undrafted rookie, has split reps with Dobbs across two games and will look for a signature outing before cuts.
Detroit’s defence has quietly been the story of camp, holding Washington’s rushing attack to 35 yards and forcing multiple turnovers in the opener against Cincinnati. With the Lions sitting their entire projected starting lineup for the third straight week, this remains a look at the back half of the depth chart more than anything resembling first-team football.
Indianapolis Colts
The headline here belongs to Richardson, who will start and play the entirety of the first quarter alongside a group of Colts starters expected to see up to 12 snaps, before giving way to Leonard for the second quarter and Easton Stick for the second half. Daniel Jones, who signed a two-year extension worth up to $100 million this offseason, will not play at all.
Richardson was 11-of-14 for 145 yards with a rushing touchdown in the opener against New England but has otherwise struggled to separate himself from Leonard, going just 3-of-9 for 24 yards last week against Atlanta. Leonard, for his part, was 7-of-14 for 62 yards in that same game, leaving the backup competition unresolved heading into the finale. With Richardson getting the benefit of extended time with real starters, this is arguably his best remaining chance to make a real case before Indianapolis sets its Week 1 depth chart.
NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Lions vs. Colts?
Best Bet: Indianapolis Colts -3.5 (-110)
Unlike most Week 3 preseason games, this one isn’t an even split of backups on both sides. Detroit is sitting its top players outright for the third straight week, while Indianapolis is sending out Richardson with a handful of starters for a real first-team look. That mismatch in approach, plus Indy’s need to settle its QB2 competition on its own terms at home, points to the Colts pulling away with a size and continuity advantage in the trenches early.