Colts vs Packers Picks & Predictions for Week 2: Taylor Picks Up Where Barkley Left Off

The Packers' rush defense had no answers for Saquon Barkley in Week 1, and Jonathan Taylor looks poised to expose this unit again. Green Bay's stoppers potentially seeing more time on field with Jordan Love hurting won't help either.

Jeremy Jones - Betting Analyst at Covers
Jeremy Jones • Betting Analyst
Sep 13, 2024 • 11:49 ET • 4 min read
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This article contains predictions for an old game!

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The Indianapolis Colts head north to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers as both teams will be looking to avoid an 0-2 start after close losses in their season openers.

There’s a strong chance that the Packers will be without franchise quarterback Jordan Love in this contest, and that will play a massive role in my Colts vs. Packers predictions. 

Find out why I’m backing the road team in my NFL picks for Sunday, September 15.

Colts vs Packers prediction

My best bet
Colts -3 (-105 at BetMGM)

My analysis

The Indianapolis Colts played an extremely competitive back-and-forth game with the Houston Texans last week but ultimately fell by a score of 29-27. 

Anthony Richardson was inconsistent on offense but showed signs of greatness with a few big throws that led to touchdowns. He hit Alec Pierce with a 60-yard bomb while under pressure in the first quarter and then hit Ashton Dulin for a 54-yard score in the fourth. 

The biggest issue for the Colts was on defense. C.J. Stroud threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns on 24 of 32 passing and Joe Mixon ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. The lone bright spot for the Colts’ stop unit was that they were able to get four sacks and 10 QB hits. That is where they will be able to attack the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers allowed two sacks and five QB hits last week in their 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. However, that was with Jordan Love at quarterback. Now they will likely be forced to play with Malik Willis behind center. 

Willis — once thought to be the next franchise quarterback in Tennessee — has struggled mightily in his limited opportunities to start.  

Willis started three games for the Titans in 2022 and was sacked 10 times despite only having 49 combined pass attempts in those three games. He failed to reach 100 passing yards in any of those games and has yet to throw a single touchdown pass in the NFL. 

While I do believe that the Packers will be able to establish a strong run game with Willis and Josh Jacobs, that will not be enough given their defensive issues they showed in Week 1. The Colts will put up enough points to force Willis into throwing situations, and that is a recipe for disaster given his history in this league. 

Colts vs Packers same-game parlay

Colts -2.5

Josh Jacobs Over 89.5 rushing yards

Jonathan Taylor anytime TD

A good way to create better odds on same-game parlays is to pair together plays that do not necessarily correlate with each other. In this game, I am confident that the Colts will win and cover, but I also think Jacobs could still run wild. 

He had 84 yards last week on only 16 carries, so I will add him to get 90+ here with likely much more volume. 

The Packers allowed three touchdowns to Saquon Barkley last week. Now they face Jonathan Taylor, who scored last week and has at least one touchdown in 11 of his last 13 games in which he started and played at least 50% of the offensive snaps. 

His anytime touchdown will be the final leg of this same-game parlay for huge odds. 

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

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Colts vs Packers odds

Colts vs Packers live odds

Colts vs Packers opening odds

  • Spread: Indianapolis -3 | Green Bay +3
  • Moneyline: Indianapolis -135 | Green Bay +115
  • Over/Under: Over 43.5 | Under 43.5

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Colts vs Packers spread and Over/Under analysis

  • The spread was as high as Green Bay -5 before the start of the season but has moved as high as Indianapolis -3.5 since the injury to Love.
  • The Colts have covered in three of the last four matchups between these two teams.
  • The total opened at 47.5 before the Love injury and moved to 43.5 after the injury. It’s down to 40.5 as of Friday afternoon.
  • The Over has hit in each of the last four matchups between these two teams.

Colts vs Packers betting trend to know

The Colts have hit the Over in 13 of their last 20 games. Find more NFL betting trends for Colts vs. Packers.

Colts vs Packers game info

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Date: Sunday, 9-15-2024
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOX

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Jeremy Jones - Covers
Betting Analyst

Jeremy Jones was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky and has been a massive Wildcats fans since the moment he came into the world. He wrote his first sports article at the tender age of 11 after attending a local AHL hockey game, and a few years later was writing professionally for sites such as Sports Rants, BetAmerica, and TwinSpires.

Jeremy holds a Masters in Sports Administration from Eastern Kentucky University and utilizes all seven betting options available in Kentucky to shop for odds and promos and find the greatest EV in every wager he places.

His best piece of sports betting advice is to stick to consistent unit sizes for every wager. He acknowledges there will occasionally be a bet that has a huge EV and you can play multiple units in one bet, but cautions against raising your unit size, because you can quickly lose all your winnings if you hit a minor cold streak.

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