The Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos haven't been lighting up the scoreboard. The Colts (1-2-1) are the NFL's lowest scoring team through four weeks, while the Broncos are 30th of 32.
When they meet in Denver on Thursday night, no one is expecting an offensive shootout. The Broncos are 3.5-point favorites, according to Draft Kings. The over/under is 42 points.
Denver is 1-3 against the spread, and 3 of their 4 games have gone under. The Colts are 1-3 against the spread, and all their games have gone under.
Live coverage:Colts vs Broncos scores, highlights, updates in NFL Week 5 action
Backup time:Colts activate Phillip Lindsay to fill in for Jonathan Taylor
Game primer:Injuries, weather, trends for Thursday Night Football on Amazon
Sputtering:Frank Reich's Colts have gone from 1 of NFL's best 1st-quarter teams to 1 of its worst
Insider: 21 things to watch as Colts take on Broncos
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Broncos 17-9
The Broncos seem worse than 2-2. Then again, the Colts seem worse than 1-2-1. They also don’t have Jonathan Taylor. Which seems significant.
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Broncos 20-15
Both struggling veteran quarterbacks had their best games of the season in losing Week 4 efforts. The difference is that Russell Wilson has better receivers, a better defense, a more cohesive offensive line and doesn’t lead the league in fumbles by three. The Colts were struggling to run the ball with Jonathan Taylor, so there's not much hope for them with him out of the lineup.
Sheil Kapada, The Ringer: Broncos, as 3-point favorites, covering the spread
This feels like a huge game for both of these teams. The Colts are showing a bunch of signs that suggest they might just be a terrible team. They’ve been outscored by 42 points in the first halves of their four games—the second-worst differential in the NFL. Matt Ryan leads the NFL with nine fumbles. And they very easily could be 0-3-1, if the Chiefs didn’t hand them a win in Week 3. Now the Colts go to Denver without running back Jonathan Taylor and linebacker Shaquille Leonard.
David Hill, The New York Times: Broncos covering the spread
One big difference between these two low-scoring teams is turnovers. The Colts are tied for second-most in the N.F.L. with nine so far this season, while the Broncos have only four. Two of those Denver turnovers, however, were fumbles by running back Melvin Gordon, including one last week that the Raiders converted into a touchdown. With Williams out, and a short week to get ready, the Broncos need Gordon to figure out how to hold on to the football.
Pro Football Network: Broncos win
This is an excruciating game to contemplate, especially without stars like Shaquille Leonard or Jonathan Taylor available for the game. The Broncos carry their fair share of injuries as well, though not to quite as vital a group of players.
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Colts 20-17
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and Broncos running back Javonte Williams (knee) suffered injuries in Week 4. That's not going to help two of the five worst scoring offenses in the NFL. The Colts have been a major disappointment this season, but they won their lone game as an underdog. Prepare for an ugly game.
Tom Bowles, Athlon Sports: Broncos 16-10
Expect an ugly, low-scoring game with the Denver offense adjusting to life without Javonte Williams and Russell Wilson playing at less than 100 percent. But we just saw the Broncos win that type of game a few weeks ago against a better opponent. The Colts are no San Francisco, their likely loss leaving head coach Frank Reich on the hot seat with an un-Indy-like 1-6 record in his last seven games.
Michael Crosson, Vegas Insider: Broncos 24-17
Both of these offenses have been terrible through Week 4, highlighted by Denver and Indy both scoring 20 PTS or less in three-of-four contests to open the season. However, the Colts’ defense allowed 22 PPG across their two road matchups, and the Broncos’ defense surrendered 10 PTS or less in both of their home matchups, so I’ll back Denver to take care of business at home here.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Broncos 24-20
The Colts have struggled in a lot of ways this season, going 1-2-1 with the heat on the coaching staff and front office. The health of running back Jonathan Taylor bears watching in this one. Even so, he hasn't been as effective. The Broncos have played well on defense, but their offense has struggled. At home, on a short week, Russell Wilson will find a way to win it.
