Arizona Cardinals vs Indianapolis Colts Prediction, 8/17/2024 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Preseason Week 2

Game: Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts

Date: Saturday, August 17, 2024

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN

TV: NFL+

Odds/Point Spread: Colts (-3)

Total/Over-Under: 35

Lucas Oil Stadium is the site where the Indianapolis Colts (9-8 last season) will take on the Arizona Cardinals (4-13 last year) on Saturday. Indianapolis opens this game as 3-point favorites. The total is 35.

The Arizona Cardinals ended the year having a 4-13 record. The last time they took the field, the Cardinals faced the Steelers and took home the win by a score of 24-10. Kyler Murray connected on 13/23 with 145 yds through the air and 1 touchdown. He had a quarterback rating of 89.9 and walked away from the game without throwing a pick. James Conner was the leader on the ground for the Cardinals with 25 totes for 105 yards (4.2 yards per carry). Trey McBride left with an average of 11.1 yds per catch by accumulating 89 yards on 8 catches. The Arizona Cardinals ended up rushing 38 times and recorded 150 yds, earning them an average of 3.9 yards per carry. In all, they had 63 plays which gave them 282 yds. Arizona allowed 18 completions on 27 tries for 187 yds, and a completion percentage of 66.7%. On the ground, the Cardinals conceded 130 yds on 31 attempts, which is an average of 4.2 yards per rush allowed.

The Cardinals earned 5,509 total yards for last season. Arizona amassed 173 1st downs as a unit, and they were hurt by 101 penalties for 859 yds. Arizona totaled 18 touchdowns through the air and 17 touchdowns on the ground. They gave the ball to the opposition 18 different times (12 picks and 6 fumbles lost). As a team they had an average of 139.1 yards rushing, ranking this team 4th in the league. When talking about putting points on the board, the Arizona Cardinals averaged 19.4 PPG.

Concerning passing yards, the Cardinals gave up 3,613 yards which had them ranked 13th in the National Football League. During their 17 games played last year, they allowed 212.5 yards per game through the air and allowed a completion percentage of 68.6%. They allowed 355.7 yards/game which ranked them 25th in football. Opposing teams ran for an average of 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and 143.2 rushing yards per game for the previous year. In total, they conceded 2,434 yards on the ground in 17 games. The Cardinals were ranked 31st in the NFL when it comes to the opposition scoring, allowing 26.8 PPG.

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The Colts finished the season holding a 9-8 mark. The last time they stepped on the gridiron, the Colts went home defeated by a final of 34-14 when they played the Bengals. Gardner Minshew II (1 touchdown) finished the contest with 240 yds on 26/39 through the air while his QB rating was 81.1. He tossed 1 pick and his Y/A was 6.2 yds. Zack Moss carried the football 13 times for 28 yards, walking away from the game with 2.2 yards per carry for Indianapolis. Michael Pittman Jr. had the best day in terms of receiving for the Colts, catching 8 throws for 95 yards (11.9 yds per catch). Indianapolis ran the football for 2.6 yards per attempt, finishing with 46 yards on 18 carries. The Colts finished the game with 272 yds while they ran 60 plays (4.5 yds per play). The Colts passing defense conceded a completion rate of 76.0%, relinquishing 274 yards on 19 out of 25 through the air. Indianapolis relinquished 32 running attempts for 111 yds (3.5 yards per rush).

When looking at how much they scored, the Colts earned a ranking of 10th in the NFL with 23.3 points per contest. Last season, the Colts racked up 3,666 passing yards along with averaging 215.6 passing yards per outing, which was ranked 20th out of all NFL teams. They averaged 121.1 rushing yards per game and rushed for 2,059 yards for the year. The Indianapolis Colts averaged 336.8 yards per game ranking them 15th in football. The Indianapolis offense accrued 685 penalty yards on 95 infractions, which was good for 21st in the league in terms of giving up free yards. They threw 10 interceptions while surrendering 12 fumbles and they earned 178 first downs.

They allowed the opposition 21 touchdowns through the air and 226.0 yards per outing, which had them in 16th in the NFL. Indianapolis yielded a total of 2,105 rushing yards (123.8 yards per game) in addition to 22 touchdowns by ground last season. Overall, they conceded 415 total points. They compiled 24 takeaways (9 fumbles recovered and 15 picks) over the course of last season. The Colts defense was on the field for 1,137 plays, which had them ranked 31st in football. The Colts relinquished 24.4 points per game, which put them in 28th of all teams in the league.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Colts NFL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Cardinals +3

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