Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets
Free NFL Pick: New York +7 -110 odds – NFL point spreads
Visit Touthouse.com for more expert NFL picks from Ben Burns

Last week’s complimentary NFL play was on the Raiders. Listed as double-digit underdogs, the Raiders traveled to Denver and won outright. This week, we’ll back another road underdog, one which I also feel has a great shot at winning in “straight-up fashion.”

Last week’s results will likely cause many to favor Indianapolis. While the Colts knocked off Jacksonville to remain unbeaten, the Jets are coming off a disappointing loss vs. Atlanta. That was a particularly bitter defeat, as it all but mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention. That doesn’t mean that we should automatically assume that the Colts will be the more “motivated” team though.

Last week, Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell publicly stated that “…all the healthy starters will play.” He hasn’t gone that far this week. At least, not yet. When asked of his plans for the amount of playing time that starters would see, he was quoted as saying: “Right now, I could not tell you exactly what it’s going to be, whether or not a guy plays one series or the entire game, I couldn’t tell you that honestly right now…”

Caldwell went on to say: “We’re still going to base it on the health of each and every one of our players, as to what their situation is. Medical professionals will certainly give us direction in that and that’s how we’ll proceed in terms of playing this Jets game…. I’m not going to know exactly where we are from a health standpoint probably until toward the end of the week.”

Given those comments and considering that the Colts have numerous players suffering from various nagging injuries and/or “bumps and bruises,” I won’t be surprised if at least a few of the starters see limited playing time.

As for the Jets, a win at Indianapolis would go a long way in soothing some of the pain of what has suddently become a disappointing season. Also, let’s not forget that even though their chances are now very slim, the Jets ARE still mathematically alive for a Wildcard spot.

Regardless of their motivation level, it’s been a long time since the Colts have shown the ability to consistently “win big.” They were somewhat fortunate to beat the Jaguars by four points last week, as that game went back and forth with numerous lead changes. That marked the fifth time in their last eight games that they’d won by four points or less. Note that NONE of those eight games were decided by more than a dozen points. In other words, they’ve been playing “close games” for two full months now.

As for the Jets, last week’s loss came by only three points. Prior to that, they’d won three straight. Looking back further and we find that only ONE of their last 10 games has resulted in a loss of greater than five points – and that came at New England vs. a motivated Patriots team determined to avenge an earlier loss at the Meadowlands.

With both teams having shown a tendency to play such close games, grabbing the points seems like the way to go. Consider New York

If you enjoyed this article then you may be interested in:

1. Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals Odds, Pick & Point Spread: September 27th 2009
2. Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans Pick, Odds & Point Spread: November 8th 2009
3. Indianapolis Colts vs. Denver Broncos Odds, Pick & Point Spread: December 13th 2009
4. Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins Odds, Pick & Point Spread: September 21st 2009
5. Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars Betting Odds, Trends & Pick: December 17th 2009