2011 NFL Wildcard Playoffs: Jets vs. Colts Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Indianapolis, IN (The Spread) - Rex Ryan will once again get another crack at trying to defeat Peyton Manning when the Indianapolis Colts host the New York Jets on Saturday night. Continue reading for picks, odds and more on this NFL Wildcard Playoff matchup.
View Current NFL Wildcard Odds
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com, the Colts are 2.5-point favorites over the Jets in Saturday’s Wildcard matchup. The over/under total for this game is currently 44.5 points.
The Jets come into this game with an 11-5 record and according to latest NFL trends, they covered in nine of their 16 games this year. They’re a stellar 6-2 on the road, where they covered in five of their eight games. Also of note, the over is 5-0 in the Jets’ five road games this season.
The Colts finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak to cap off a 10-6 season and another AFC South division title. They went 8-7-1 against the number this year but just 4-4 at home. They’re 6-2 straight up at Lucas Oil Stadium this season.
NFL Wildcard Free Pick:
Manning has absolutely owned Ryan over the years. Against Ryan-led defenses, Manning is 5-1 with 1,513 yards, 12 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. But while it’s tough to bet against Manning in his own stadium, we think the Colts are due for another playoff fall. Before going to the Super Bowl in 2006 and then again last season, they regularly lost in the first round – even when they played at home. Even though this is a hot team right now, their near-loss to the Titans in Week 17 proved that this is not the indestructible force that Manning led last year to Miami. The defense has plenty of holes that Mark Sanchez (yes, that Mark Sanchez) can exploit and you better believe Ryan’s defense will put on its best effort. He and his players know that they have not had the season they wanted and it’s high time they stepped up. The Jets need to control the tempo of this game from the start. If they get into a shootout they’re going to fail miserably against Manning. But if they can grind out yards on the ground, kept the pace slow and force a couple of turnovers on defense, then they win this game outright. They also need to stop the run, which is something the Patriots, Chargers and Cowboys were able to do in the Colts’ three game losing streak from Weeks 11-13. Our pick is the Jets +2.5.
2011 NFL WILDCARD PLAYOFFS FREE PICK: NEW YORK JETS +2.5