Peyton Manning: Denver Broncos QB Takes on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football

Denver Broncos vs. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, 10/20/13, 8:30 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Denver -5.5
Current Betting Line: Denver -6
Opening Total: 56
Current Total: 55.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning will make his first-ever road start in Indianapolis

Denver has won a franchise-record 17 consecutive regular-season games, including a 35-19 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars as 26.5-point home favorites last week, while going OVER the betting total for the sixth consecutive time to open the 2013 campaign. The Broncos are tied atop the AFC West standings with the Kansas City Chiefs, but they’ve scored 113 more points heading into Sunday. Offensively, the team is led by quarterback Peyton Manning, who has thrown for 2,179 yards and prepares to face his old team for the first time. Denver is 12-1 SU and 10-2 ATS as favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points the last two-plus seasons, with the OVER going 10-3 in that situation.

The Broncos are 11-8 all-time against the Colts in 19 regular-season meetings, which is important to consider when making your NFL betting picks for NBC’s Sunday Night Football matchup. Denver has won eight consecutive regular-season road games—the longest such streak in team history. Since the beginning of the 2012 season, the franchise has outscored its opponents by a combined 232 points in the final two quarters of a game.

Indianapolis had its three-game winning streak snapped in suffering a 19-9 loss to the San Diego Chargers as one-point road underdogs on Monday Night Football, while going UNDER the betting total for the third time in four contests. The Colts have been out-gained by a triple-digit margin in their last two games, which is important to consider when looking over the NFL betting lines for Week 7. Defensively, the team has allowed 13 points in the fourth quarter this season, which ranks first in the league. Indianapolis is 4-1 SUATS as home underdogs of 3.5 to 7 points since 2011, with the UNDER going 4-1 in those five opportunities.

The Colts rank fifth in pass defense and scoring defense, but all eyes will be on the offensive side of the football, with quarterback Andrew Luck playing the biggest home game of his young career to date. He has never lost back-to-back games—posting a 6-0 record following a loss since arriving in Indianapolis from Stanford. The franchise has also compiled a 9-2 record under second-year head coach Chuck Pagano.