NFL Preseason Week 2 Preview: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Atssportsline.com
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Current line: Pittsburgh (-4/38)
Indianapolis visits Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Sunday at 8pmET. The Steelers defeated the Colts, 23-20 laying 10.5 in the regular season last year. Last week, Pittsburgh fell at Philadelphia, 24-23 getting 1, while Indy routed the Rams, 38-3 last Sunday at home.
Weather: 72 degrees with a 15% chance of rain.
Indianapolis is coming off a 2-14 SU season, and they were 6-10 ATS and 7-9 Under. Last year, they went 2-2 ATS in the preseason. Chuck Pagano in his his first year as head coach. Pittsburgh finished 12-4 SU last season, impressive considering the injuries. They were also 7-9 ATS and 6-10 Under in 2011. Mike Tomlin is 16-5 SU, 26-32-6 ATS and 25-31 Under in preseason.
Outlook: The Colts are rebuilding after a two-win season. Rookie QB Andrew Luck takes over for Peyton Manning. Very big shoes to fill. Luck has some of the same attributes Manning did have and he's a much better athlete. At receiver, they added Donnie Avery and re-signed Reggie Wayne. They also drafted Luck's teammate TE Coby Fleener, to replace Dallas Clark. WR T.Y. Hilton should add a playmaker at WR and KR. The defense allowed 143.9ypg on the ground. Pagano is a 3-4 guy so the Colts have to adapt to a new scheme. DE Cory Redding and S Tom Zbikowski come over from Baltimore to add some experience and toughness.
Any bitterness Colts fans were still harboring over the organization's unpopular decision to release the at-risk Peyton Manning in March probably subsided after witnessing Luck's pro debut. The No. 1 overall pick in this past draft lived up to his advance billing and more, orchestrating three touchdown drives on his first four possessions in contributing to last weekend's 38-3 shellacking of the St. Louis Rams at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Luck made an impact right off the bat, finding Donald Brown for a short pass that the running back turned into a 63-yard touchdown on the Colts' initial play from scrimmage. The former Stanford star connected with Austin Collie for a 23-yard score later on and finished his first game with 188 yards on a crisp 10-of-16 passing.
A new-look Indianapolis defense that's transitioning to a 3-4 scheme also shined in Pagano's initiation, limiting the punchless Rams to 215 total yards while not yielding a touchdown. Jerry Hughes, a 2010 first-round pick who's shifting to outside linebacker, led the effort with a pair of sacks.
The Colts did have a few down moments, however. Starting inside linebacker Pat Angerer fractured his foot in the contest and will miss the beginning of the regular season as a result, while right guard Mike McGlynn sustained a high ankle sprain and running backs Delone Carter and Mewelde Moore exited with rib injuries.
Moore spent the last four seasons with Pittsburgh before joining the Colts as a free agent. He and Carter are competing with rookie Vick Ballard to be the primary backup to Brown.
Angerer's injury creates a battle between ex-Eagles Moise Fokou and Greg Lloyd, former CFL player Jerrell Freeman and Mario Harvey for the starting nod opposite Kavell Conner.
Pittsburgh addressed their issues on the offensive line by drafting G David DeCastro and T Mike Adams. Both will start in Game 1 as tackle Max Starks and guard Willie Colon are coming off injuries. The key is protecting Ben Roethlisberger (ankle/rotator cuff) who is already banged up. They also need to find a running game as Rashard Mendenhall (knee) is questionable for the start of the season and burly Isaac Redman will get the start.
The Steelers enter their 2012 home preseason opener somewhat banged up as well. Perennial Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison will be sidelined at least the next three weeks after undergoing a scope on his left knee on Wednesday, longtime nose tackle Casey Hampton remains on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from offseason knee surgery and starting fullback David Johnson was recently placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in last week's 24-23 loss at Philadelphia.
And Pittsburgh remains without Mike Wallace as the fleet-footed wide receiver continues a camp holdout over dissatisfaction with his contract.
The Steelers have some health issues at running back as well, with 2011 leading rusher Rashard Mendenhall still on the mend from a torn ACL and projected replacement Isaac Redman doubtful for Sunday's contest with a strained groin. Jonathan Dwyer, who ripped off 40 yards on only two carries against the Eagles, is dealing with a minor shoulder sprain but is expected to play.
Pittsburgh will also be undergoing some shuffling along the offensive line for this game, with normal right tackle Marcus Gilbert moving to the left side and Ramon Foster sliding into Gilbert's usual spot. Veteran left tackle Max Starks (knee) isn't yet ready to play after just being activated off the PUP list, while rookie second-round pick Mike Adams struggled in his place during the opener.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in a brief appearance in the Philadelphia game, however, completing 7-of-8 attempts for 49 yards in helping the Steelers jump out to a 13-0 halftime lead.
The Colts and Steelers will be squaring off in preseason play for the first time since 2000, but the teams did face another in Indianapolis during Week 3 of last year's regular season, a 23-20 Pittsburgh win. The Colts own an 11-9 edge in the preseason series and have taken the last two meetings, including a 24-23 decision in Mexico City back in 2000.
Key Injuries: Indy: LB Pat Angerer (foot) is out indef. RG Mike McGlynn (high ankle sprain) is out. WR Donnie Avery (hip) is dbtful. Pittsburgh: RB Isaac Redman (groin) is ? WR Mike Wallace (holdout) is out. LB James Harrison (knee) is on PUP list. RB Rashad Mendenhall (knee) is out. OT Max Starks (knee) is on PUP. NT Casey Hampton (knee) is out.
Preseason Trends:
Indianapolis is 27-13 Over as an underdog
Indy is 0-9 ATS in Week 2.
Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS as a favorite
QB Rotations:
Indianapolis
Andrew Luck (R)
Drew Stanton
Chandler Harnish (R)
Pittsburgh
Ben Roethlisberger
Byron Leftwich
Charlie Batch
Jerrod Johnson
NFL Preseason Logs Last 6 Years
Indianapolis
2006 Results
at St. Louis W +5 17-19 u38’
Seattle L -2’ 17-30 o38’
at New Orleans W -3’ 27-14 u42
(at Jackson, MS)
Cincinnati L +3 3-20 u40
2007 Results
at Dallas L +5 10-23 u34
Chicago L +2 24-27 o36’
Detroit W -6’ 37-10 o40
at Cincinnati L +4’ 6-14 u40
2008 Results
Washington L +4' 16-30 o31'
(at Canton, OH)
at Carolina(OT) W +4 20-23 o35'
at Atlanta W +3 16-9 u38
BUFFALO L -5' 7-20 u37'
CINCINNATI L -3 7-27 u34'
2009 Results
MINNESOTA L +3 3-13 u36
PHILADELPHIA W +3 23-15 o36’
at Detroit L -3 17-18 u40
at Cincinnati L +3’ 7-38 o36’
2010 Results
SAN FRANCISCO L +3’ 17-37 o33
$Buffalo L +3’ 21-34 o34
at Green Bay L +4 24-59 o44’
CINCINNATI L +6’ 28-30 o36’
$-Toronto
2011 Results
at St. Louis L +7 10-33 o33’
WASHINGTON L +5 3-16 u36
GREEN BAY W +9’ 21-24 o38’
at Cincinnati W +3’ 17-13 u35’
Pittsburgh
2006 Results
at Arizona L +3’ 13-21 u35’
Minnesota L -3 10-17 u34’
at Philadelphia L +3 7-16 u35
Carolina W +3 13-15 u33’
2007 Results
New Orleans W -3 20-7 u34$
Green Bay L -6’ 9-13 u34’
at Washington L -2’ 12-10 u33’
Philadelphia W -3 27-13 o35’
at Carolina W +3’ 19-3 u34’
$-at Canton, OH
2008 Results
PHIL. W -1 16-10 u33'
Buffalo L -1 21-24 o33
(at Toronto, Canada)
at Minnesota L -3 12-10 u36'
CAROLINA L -3' 19-16 u35'
2009 Results
ARIZONA W -3 20-10 u33
at Washington L +3 13-17 u33
BUFFALO W -6 17-0 u36
at Carolina W +3 21-10 u33’
2010 Results
DETROIT W -3 23-7 u33’
at NY Giants W -6 24-17 o34
at Denver L -1 17-34 o38
CAROLINA W -6’ 19-3 u37’
2011 Results
at Washington L +2’ 7-16 u33
PHILADELPHIA W -3 24-14 o35’
ATLANTA W -3 34-16 o35’
at Carolina W +2’ 33-17 o34’
What Bettors Need to Know: Colts at Steelers
By Covers.com
Quarterback Andrew Luck’s standout performance was the talk of the Indianapolis Colts’ emphatic 38-3 victory over the St. Louis Rams in their NFL preseason opener.
The showing by Luck, the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft, did not go unnoticed by gamblers.
“We’ve seen some money coming in on the Colts over the last few days, and I think that’s because they had a pretty decent preseason game,” said Jimmy Vaccaro, spokesman for William Hill in Nevada.
Indianapolis is one of the lowest rated teams in the NFL, a position that is reflected in its regular-season victory total on the betting boards.
The Colts’ total opened as low as over/under 5 wins, -120 on the under, even money on the over at all Mirage Resorts International sportsbooks.
The number on Indianapolis currently sits at over/under 5 wins, -140 on the over, +120 on the under at the LVH.
The Colts now travel to Pittsburgh for a Sunday night preseason showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers enter their 2012 home preseason opener banged up. Linebacker James Harrison will be sidelined at least the next three weeks after undergoing knee surgery Wednesday.
Pittsburgh has some health issues at running back as well. Rashard Mendenhal is still on the mend from a torn ACL and projected replacement Isaac Redman is doubtful for Sunday's contest with a strained groin. Jonathan Dwyer, who gained 40 yards on only two carries against the Eagles last week, is dealing with a minor shoulder sprain but is expected to play.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was efficient in a brief appearance in the Philadelphia game, completing 7-of-8 attempts for 49 yards. Jerrod Johnson and Byron Leftwich will take the majority of the snaps again on Sunday.
The Colts own an 11-9 edge in the all-time preseason series with the Steelers and have taken the last two meetings.
Colts vs. Steelers
By Kevin Rogers
VegasInsider.com
The second week of the preseason continues on Sunday with one game on the NFL card. The Colts looked extremely impressive in Andrew Luck's professional debut as Indianapolis trounced St. Louis. Now, Indianapolis heads to Heinz Field for a nationally televised showdown with Pittsburgh, who dropped a one-point decision at Philadelphia last week.
Luck's first pass was a simple dump-off that turned into a 63-yard touchdown scamper by Donald Brown to get the Colts on the scoreboard. The former Stanford standout led another touchdown drive en route to a 38-3 drubbing of the Rams as one-point home favorites. The game finished 'over' the total of 34 thanks to a 10-point fourth quarter by the Colts, as Indianapolis threw for 314 yards in the victory.
The Steelers squandered a 13-0 advantage in the exhibition-opening loss to the Eagles, 24-23. Ben Roethlisberger participated in a pair of drives, as the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback completed seven of eight passes for 49 yards. Backups Byron Leftwich and Jerrod Johnson each tossed a touchdown strike, but Steelers' quarterbacks were sacked a total of seven times. Pittsburgh was on verge on the covering until Alex Henery drilled a 51-yard field goal in the final seconds to give Philadelphia the win.
The loss by the Steelers last week snapped a three-game preseason winning streak, as Mike Tomlin's club has now cashed the 'over' in six of the previous eight exhibition contests since 2010. In spite of the 'push' against the Eagles, the Steelers own a 9-3-1 ATS record in the preseason the three-plus years, while winning nine consecutive home exhibition games.
The Colts have never been a great play in the preseason, but much of that predicated on Peyton Manning under center. Indianapolis never took exhibition play seriously in years' past, losing 14 of 17 games from 2008 through 2011. Now with Luck under center and Chuck Pagano patrolling the sidelines, Indianapolis will have different mindset to play this preseason games with more urgency than the last couple of season.
Following plenty of low-scoring games in the opening week, the scoreboard exploded all over the league in this week's installment of exhibition contests. Six of the eight preseason games on Thursday and Friday sailed 'over' the total, as the two games not to finish 'over' fell shy by a½ point (Titans/Buccaneers and Lions/Ravens).
The Steelers are listed as four-point home favorites, while the total is set at 37½. The game kicks off at 8:00 PM from Heinz Field and can be seen nationally on NBC.
Preseason report:
The Bengals, Browns, and Jaguars have all shot out the gate at 2-0, even though five of those six victories came against playoff teams from last season. Cleveland hasn't played a home contest yet, but the Browns are coming off impressive efforts over Detroit and Green Bay on the highway in the underdog role. Jacksonville hasn't been a great preseason team over the years, cashing just once in the last six exhibition contests.
On the flip side, the Falcons and Packers are each winless through two games. Obviously it doesn't mean much when the regular season begins, as both Atlanta and Green Bay will try to sure up their defense by allowing at least 55 points in exhibition play. The Falcons hit the road to take on the struggling Dolphins next week, while the Packers head to Cincinnati.