Colts vs Chiefs 2019 NFL Week 5 Odds & Betting Preview

The first four games of the Jacoby Brissett era in Indianapolis have been hit and miss. The Colts looked solid but fell just short in a season-opening loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles but then held off Tennessee and Atlanta in nail-biters. Then they got upset at home by the equally inconsistent Oakland Raiders, losing 31-24. The stout defense from a year ago seems to be a thing of the past, and while Brissett has shown he can move the ball, the defense needs more consistency. Now the Colts visit a Kansas City team that is one of just three unbeatens remaining. Things have been harder for the Chiefs than that 4-0 schedule might indicate, as they beat Baltimore at home by just five and needed a late comeback drive to win in Detroit, 34-30, this past weekend. Will the Chiefs finally run out of magic this week? Or will they take care of business at home? We have your NFL betting preview right here.

Colts vs Chiefs 2019 NFL Week 5 Odds & Betting Preview

See you soon, @SNFonNBC. pic.twitter.com/gpsbwdHf8P

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 4, 2019

When: Sunday, October 6, 2019, 8:20pm ET Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City TV: NBC Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: ESPN+ NFL Week 6 Odds: Kansas City -11 / O/U 56

Why should you bet on the Colts?

Jacoby Brissett struggles at times with passing accuracy but can hit the big ones when he needs to. Against the Raiders, he went 24 for 46 for 265 yards and three touchdowns. Those 22 incompletions hurt and were a part of why Indianapolis only held the ball for about 26 minutes of the game. The Colts lost in Kansas City during the divisional round of the playoffs last season after upsetting Houston in the wild card round. That Colts team had Andrew Luck at quarterback and was only able to put up 13 points on the Chiefs, who actually made defense a priority in that game. The Chiefs are having a harder time stopping the running game this year, with a front seven that has actually proven easy for opposing tailbacks to navigate. If you like the Colts, you  might see Kansas City winning but a lot less easily than that line indicates.

Why should you put your money on the Chiefs?

The most explosive offense in the National Football League continues to reside at Arrowhead Stadium. LeSean McCoy has been a serviceable addition at tailback this season, and Patrick Mahomes II threw for 315 yards in the Chiefs’ win. However, the Detroit game was unusual in that Mahomes did not throw a touchdown pass. His favorite target was tight end Travis Kelce, who caught seven balls for 85 yards. The Lions did not give Mahomes a lot of time in the pocket, and so he had to settle for shorter routes and checkdowns. Kansas City needs to do a better job as far as defense in this game. The Colts do not have an explosive offense, but they can move the ball in the air and on the ground, and the Chiefs spent a lot of money retooling their defense, but that money has not yet paid dividends at this point. The front seven must do a better job of containment and penetration if the Chiefs are going to have a hope of covering this spread.

Final Score Prediction

The issues that bedeviled the Chiefs down the stretch last year — making clutch plays when they need to on defense, in particular — are still a problem. The Chiefs have not yet played a top-tier team, and that continues as the 2-2 Colts arrive in town. I see the Chiefs learning some defensive lessons from their near upset a week ago and win — but by eleven? I’m not sure. I predict a final score of Kansas City 31, Indianapolis 23.