The Indianapolis Colts (0-1) knew it would be nearly impossible to duplicate last year’s 14-0 start, but they now face the unlikely scenario of starting the regular season 0-2 with a home loss to the New York Giants (1-0) on Sunday Night Football and are favored by 5 points on the NFL betting odds. The Colts have taken a pedestrian approach to the preseason in recent years and looked like they were not ready to play their regular-season opener at Houston in falling to the Texans, 34-24.
The Carolina Panthers and New York Giants open the regular season and New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday, each looking for fresh starts off disappointing years. The Panthers and Giants both missed the playoffs after identical 8-8 campaigns that were simply not good enough to get them to the postseason in competitive divisions.