Indianapolis Colts (8-6) vs. Arizona Cardinals (10-4)
December 25, 2021 8:15 pm EDT
The Line: Arizona Cardinals -1 / Indianapolis Colts +1; Over/Under: +49
(Get latest betting odds)
The Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts square off Christmas Day in week 16 NFL action from State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
The Indianapolis Colts will try to build on their 27-17 win over New England last time out. Carson Wentz has thrown for 3,005 yards, 23 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 62.7% passing while Jonathan Taylor’s rushed for 1,518 yards and 17 touchdowns. Michael Pittman Jr. leads the Colts’ receiving group with 68 catches for 889 yards and 5 TDs while Zach Pascal and the aforementioned Taylor each have 300+ receiving yards as well this season. On defense, Bobby Okereke has a team-high 110 total tackles while Kenny Moore II has a team-high 4 interceptions and DeForest Buckner has a team-high 6.5 sacks. Al-Quadin Muhammad also has 5 sacks for the Colts this year.
The Arizona Cardinals will look to bounce back from back-to-back losses after a 30-12 defeat at the hands of the Lions last time out. Kyler Murray has thrown for 3,039 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 69.8% passing while James Conner has 700 rushing yards with 14 TDs and Chase Edmonds has rushed for 483 yards this season. Christian Kirk leads the Cardinals with 62 grabs for 812 yards and 5 TDs while A.J. Green has 718 receiving yards and DeAndre Hopkins has 572 receiving yards and a team-high 8 TDs this season. On defense, Jordan Hicks leads the Cardinals with 105 total tackles while also logging 4 sacks while Byron Murphy Jr. has 4 interceptions and Markus Golden has a team-high 11 sacks. Chandler Jones also has 9.5 sacks for Arizona this season.
Indianapolis is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall while the over is 10-4 in their last 14 games following a win. Arizona is 3-8 ATS in their last 11 home games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite while the under is 5-1 in their last 6 games following a loss.
These are two teams that could really use the win right now, but I’m not going anywhere near the Arizona Cardinals after losing to the Lions. Maybe the focus for Arizona is already towards the postseason, but that’s not the case for the Colts who are still trying to scratch and claw their way into a confirmed playoff spot. The Colts are also playing much better defense than the Cards right now, so give me Indianapolis here.
