Las Vegas Raiders vs. Indianapolis Colts Matchup Preview (12/13/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

The Las Vegas Raiders will be playing the Indianapolis Colts in a playoff-defying game for the final wild-card spot in the AFC. The Colts currently hold the final playoff spot in the AFC with an 8-4 record and the Raiders are the first team out behind them with a 7-5 record. The Raiders are coming off of a sneaky win against the New York Jets and the Colts, in a similar fashion luckily got past the Houston Texans. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Indianapolis Colts Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 13th, 2020
Time: 4:05 PM ET
Location: Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, Nevada
TV Coverage: CBS

Raiders vs. Colts Live Stream

Where can you watch Raiders vs. Colts online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Raiders vs. Colts Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Las Vegas Raiders: Questionable: Johnathan Abram, Josh Jacobs, Isaiah Johnson, Damon Arnette
Indianapolis Colts: Questionable: Philip Rivers, Anthony Castonzo, Bobby Okereke, Khari Willis, Out: Rigoberto Sanchez IR: Le’Raven Clark

Las Vegas Raiders Analysis

The Las Vegas Raiders are 7-5 and in second place in the AFC West, behind the Kansas City Chiefs. They are currently the first team out of the AFC playoff picture and trail none other than, the Indianapolis Colts. If they captured a win against the Colts, they would take over the final playoff spot in the AFC. Last week, they barely edged out a win over the winless New York Jets and it was not until Gregg Williams called a 7-man blitz on the final play for Derek Carr and Henry Ruggs to take advantage with a game-winning touchdown.

Derek Carr had a field day with the Jets defense last week, throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for an additional touchdown during the game. Carr, this season, has the 8th best DVOA rating amongst quarterbacks and one of the best completion percentages at 68.1%. He and Darren Waller are a dynamic duo together; last week, he and Waller connected 13 times for 200 yards and two touchdowns. The Indianapolis Colts will be a tough challenge as they rank in the top ten for opponent completion percentage, passing yards per game, and passing touchdowns per game.

The run game for the Raiders has been left at a stalemate without the help of Josh Jacobs for the last two games. He played against the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago, but came out of the game with a high ankle sprain that kept him out last week, and has remained questionable for this week. Last week, the Raiders were left with Devontae Booker, who averaged 3.1 yards per carry off of his 16 attempts for 50 total yards. The team rushed 25 times for 72 yards and was left with the lone rushing touchdown from Derek Carr. Even with Jacobs possibly back next weekend, the Colts have an excellent rushing defense. They allow just 100.9 yards per game on the ground and 3.8 yards per attempt to their opponents.

The Raiders’ defense has been a big struggle for this team over the past two weeks. They allowed the New York Jets to put up 28 points on them and account for 40% of Sam Darnold’s touchdowns this season. Their passing defense is the better end of things, where they allow the 6th lowest completion percentage to quarterbacks. However, their pass rush is one of the worst in the league considering they have the third-lowest sack rate in the NFL and the fourth least amount of produced sacks this season with just 15 sacks. They will need to focus on containing the Colts’ strong suited run game to win this one.

Las Vegas Raiders Depth Chart

QB: Derek Carr
RB1: Josh Jacobs
RB2: Jalen Richard
WR1: Henry Ruggs
WR2: Tyrell Williams
WR3: Hunter Renfrow
TE: Darren Waller

Indianapolis Colts Analysis

The Indianapolis Colts are in a decent standing to make the playoffs in the AFC with an 8-4 record. They currently stand in second place to the Tennessee Titans since the Titans win the tiebreaker. The Colts are coming off of a much-needed win over their division opponents, the Houston Texans. They recovered a fumbled snap from Deshaun Watson on their own 2-yard line to secure the win in the end.

The run game for the Colts has been outstanding for them and has gone through three different running backs this season. Last week, against one of the worst rushing defenses, the Colts ran for a lowly 109 rushing yards as a team. Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines did a lot of work in the passing game. Taylor put up 91 rushing yards and tacked on 3-44-1 in the passing game. Hines put up 6-10-1 in the run game but also had 3-22 in the passing game. The Raiders have a pretty awful rushing defense too, considering they allow 121 rushing yards per game and give up the second-most rushing touchdowns per game. The Colts should stick to their game plan through the run to get through this one.

Philip Rivers had a very successful game last week against the Texans, throwing for 285-2-0 in the game. Michael Pittman Jr., the rookie wide receiver out of USC, has been amping up their passing game since his return from injury earlier in the season. Last week, Pittman put up 5-46 as the team’s second-leading receiver. The Raiders’ have a manageable passing defense and luckily their pass rush will not stand a chance against the Colts’ offensive line. Plus, if Jonathan Abram does not play, they will be targeting some deep shots in the game.

The Colts’ defense has been somewhat inconsistent this season as they are expected to be one of the better defenses in the league. The Colts are in the top ten in most defensive categories between the pass and the run game. They will need to focus on stopping Josh Jacobs in his return and containing Darren Waller in the passing game.

Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart

QB: Philip Rivers
RB1: Marlon Mack
RB2: Jonathan Taylor
WR1: T.Y. Hilton
WR2: Michael Pittman Jr.
WR3: Parris Campbell
TE: Jack Doyle

Betting Corner Colts -2.5

Spread: +/- 2.5
Moneyline: Colts -159, Raiders +130
Over/Under: 51.5

Prediction

Spread: Colts -2.5
Moneyline: Colts -159
Over/Under: o51.5

The Colts could tighten the grips for a postseason birth with a win over the Raiders and extending the gap on them. The Colts have been doing well enough on offense where I am confident that they can take large advantage of the Raiders’ defense. Whereas, the Raiders’ offense may struggle against the Colts’ defense, especially without Josh Jacobs. I would take the Colts’ spread and money line for this matchup.

The Colts have hit the over in each of their last five games and the Raiders have secured it in three of their last five games. Considering the Raiders have poor defense and a solid offense, I expect this game to go with the over.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

Jonathan Taylor has climbed out the slump he was in between weeks 8-10 to put up two games over 15 points in the last two weeks. Last week he put up 22.5 fantasy points against the Jets, the highest he has put up all season. The Raiders allow the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season, and I expect Taylor to take advantage. He has projected 11.75 fantasy points next week.

Hate

Derek Carr has flirted with the idea of being a starting quarterback for fantasy football. This season he has put up 17 points per game and is ranked 14th amongst quarterbacks. Last week he had his peak performance against the Jets with 31.74 fantasy points. However, the Colts allow the third least amount of points per game to quarterbacks this season, and I do not expect Carr to live up to his average. Find another quarterback for the first week of fantasy football playoffs.