The Indianapolis Colts will take the field on January 9 for their 2017 game against the Houston Texans. While the game has been moved to a 4:25 p.m. EST kickoff time to accommodate for the early start to the night’s Big Game on FOX, the line and over/under betting has been moved to 4:05 p.m. ET to match the start time.
You’d think moving one part of the betting to a later start time would make little difference. However, with the game being played in the afternoon, the odds are now favoring the visiting team, the Texans. Below we’ll discuss the various factors that could impact the odds in favor of either team in this game.
Weather
The weather in Indianapolis is currently looking good, with the temperature sitting at a comfortable 35 degrees. If you’re traveling to Indianapolis to either attend the game or are hosting a party at your residence, you’re in for a pleasant day. The weather conditions in Houston are somewhat less fortunate, however, with the current temperature in Houston sitting at 29 degrees.
With the game taking place in the afternoon, you’d assume that the outdoor stadium football would be played in favorable weather conditions. Typically, games played during the day are played in pleasant temperatures, providing an advantage to the offense. However, this is sometimes not the case as temperatures can range from 15 to 35 degrees, making it difficult for the players to stay warm in the process of performing their jobs. This is why more coaches like Bill Belichick travel to the East Coast in the winter to play their home games.
History
The first game between these two professional football teams was played back in 2007. The Colts won that game 14-10 and it was eventually decided that the then-Houston Texans would have to pay the Colts $750,000 in order to avoid a rematch. The final history indicates that the two teams have met five times on the football field with the Colts holding a 3-2 lead in the series.
While a 3-2 lead doesn’t seem overwhelming, consider that the Texans are still searching for their first win in this rivalry. The last four games have been decided by a grand total of seven points, with the closest game being a 13-10 win for the Colts in 2013. This trend doesn’t seem favorable for the home team, the Colts, who are 3-1 in their last 4 games and have a chance to clinch their first division title since 2012 in the coming days.
Regular Season Game
This is the game that everyone has been waiting for, the biggest NFL rivalry in the country right now. The winner of this game will be the first team to represent the South in the playoffs and will have the opportunity to face off against the team from the North in what is known as the NFC Championship. This game has received numerous headlines, mostly in the form of betting predictions, which you’ll find below.
Before the start of the season, the oddsmakers installed a -300 favorite over the +200 underdog in the upcoming game between the Colts and the Texans, based on their respective records. That’s a big spread, but for those who bet on either team, it was viewed as a reasonable line. As the season has progressed, though, the spread has gotten a little bit tighter. As of late Sunday night, bettors have the Colts as 7-point underdogs in the game.
Along with the NFL rivalry factor, this game has attracted a lot of interest due to its late-season nature. In recent years, this matchup has been played in December, with four of the last five games ending in a tie. Overnight football took center stage in the 2015 game, with both teams combining for 14 tackles and nine tackles for loss. In 2016, the game was played in cold conditions with the temperature being 28 degrees at kickoff and 19 degrees at the end of the game. Despite being at the end of the season, the game attracted a ton of interest as over 69,000 people attended the game, which was played in Houston, making it the most-watched game of the year to date on ESPN.
Post-Season Game
This is, of course, the game that everyone will be talking about in the coming days. Regardless of which team you support, this will be one of the highlights of the season. If you’re a Colts fan, you’ll be happy to know that your team has been able to keep pace with the Texans in the standings, even though you know that the division title is out of reach. With the postseason fast approaching, this game will receive a lot of attention, both in and out of the sportsbooks. The over/under lines range from 3.5 to 4.5 points, with oddsmakers giving the Colts a slight advantage in this game.