Indianapolis Colts Vs Oakland Raiders: Las Vegas Line & Pick Against the Spread

Peyton Manning Brings His Indianapolis Colts to Oakland to Take on Oakland Raiders

Todd Jacobs, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Dec 19, 2010 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

The Indianapolis Colts travel to Oakland to play the Oakland Raiders December 26th in a game with huge NFL Playoffs implications. Peyton Manning has kept his team in the running for an NFL Playoff spot through smoke and mirrors. The offense is in shambles but he continues to produce and give them a chance. This game against the Oakland Raiders in Oakland will either prove Manning is worthy of NFL MVP consideration or his season is over.

The Oakland Raiders are 5-0 in the AFC West and if they can beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs lose the game between the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17 will be for all the marbles in the AFC West. The Indianapolis Colts find themselves in a similar situation in the AFC South after beating their division rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Indianapolis Colts Offense vs Oakland Raiders Defense

Peyton Manning is running out of targets on this Indianapolis Colts offense. The loss of Dallas Clark set this team back much further than anyone expected this season. His replacement Jacob Tamme has failed to produce in Clark's absence. Not only has Clark's injury set the Indianapolis Colts offense back but the lack of a running game has taken away Manning's favorite option, the play action pass.

The Oakland Raiders defense has been schizophrenic this season. One game they have been dominating and the next they are getting walked over by their opponents. LaMaar Houston and Rolando McClain have performed well above expectations as rookies on this defense and the defense as a whole has shown great promise.

Nnamdi Asomugha is still the best shut down corner in the NFL and the Oakland Raiders have watched Michael Huff grow into his role in the secondary as well. This is a defense that could be ranked among the top five defenses next season but at the moment they are struggling to be consistent. The Indianapolis Colts and the Oakland Raiders defense will play to a draw in this game neither will show a distinct advantage.

Oakland Raiders Offense vs Indianapolis Colts Defense

Offense for the Oakland Raiders has also been tough to figure from week to week. Jason Campbell has plenty of weapons to choose from but he has not been consistent this season. Darren McFadden has been one the best running backs in the NFL some weeks and he has suffered through some of worst games of his career this season. Look for the Oakland Raiders to use ball control offense to keep the Indianapolis Colts defense on the field as long as possible in this game.

The Indianapolis Colts defense is still getting pounded by the oppositions running games. They are giving up 140 yards per game on the ground but their pass defense still rates well. They are surrendering just over 200 yards per game through the air.

Up front the Indianapolis Colts rank towards the bottom as a pass rush defense although Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney are feared among NFL quarterbacks. They have only recorded 18 sacks this season and they rank 18th among the 32 NFL teams. The Oakland Raiders offense will have a slight advantage over the Indianapolis Colts defense.

Indianapolis Colts -3 vs Oakland Raiders: Pick Against the Spread & Breakdown

The Las Vegas Hilton Superbook has made the Indianapolis Colts a three point favorite over the Oakland Raiders. The Oakland Raiders are in McAffee Stadium against the spread and they are overall against the spread. The Indianapolis Colts are 3-3-1 against the spread as a visiting team. Take the Oakland Raiders +3 points as the home team underdog over the Indianapolis Colts.