Not surprisingly, the Indianapolis Colts are the heavy favorites to win their fifth straight AFC South title. Sportsbook.com has posted the Indianapolis Colts betting odds to win Super Bowl XLII at 9 to 1. The Colts did lose a few key players and one always has to be concerned on whether they will remain hungry after winning it all. Hard to expect anything less than excellence from the offense yet again this season.
“Now that these guys have won it all the question is: How hungry are they to stay on top?,” stated Point-Spreads.com NFL Expert Brad Marchetti . “I don't see this team repeating as champs after the off-season losses buth I would definately take the 2 to 5 betting odds for them to win the AFC South.”
Peyton Manning finally has the “not being able to win the big one” monkey off his back. Last season he threw for 4397 yards, 31 touchdowns, only 9 interceptions and a 101 passer rating. Most impressively, Manning was able to stay on the field for all 16 games yet again; a huge credit to his offensive line.
With the departure of Dominic Rhodes, look for Joseph Addai to absolutely explode this season. Going for 1081 yards, 7 touchdowns and 4.8 yards per carry, Addai did not disappoint his rookie year. Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne both return to form maybe the best receiving tandem in the NFL. Last year the duo combined for 2676 yards and 21 touchdowns. Add TE Dallas Clark and rookie 1st rounder Anthony Gonzalez and it is hard to imagine that the offense won’t be flying high again.
The defense was horrific against the run last season giving up 173 yards per game. Thankfully, they got their act together only yielding only 82.8 yards per game during their playoff run. With defense did suffer some key losses on the defensive side of the ball. LB Cato June is longer around as well as CB’s Nick Harper and Jason David.
They also experienced a huge blow with the loss of “Booger” McFarland due to a torn patellar tendon which should keep him out for the year. The strength of the defense definitely comes down to DE’s Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis along with hard hitting safety Bob Sanders.
