Opening line favors Saints by more than a touchdown over Colts

The New Orleans Saints are favored over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, but it’s clear that they can’t underestimate them.

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The New Orleans Saints lost in a shootout with the San Francisco 49ers, while the Indianapolis Colts let a win escape them against the mistake-prone Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, those two squads are putting it all behind them and focusing on their next matchup — against each other, on ‘Monday Night Football.’

Per the opening line from BetMGM, the Saints are favored by 7.5 points over the Colts, with an over/under of 45.5. That implies a final score somewhere close to Saints 27, Colts 19. So this one isn’t expected to be close.

It’s going to depend on how well the Colts can throw downfield. Jacoby Brissett hasn’t done that often since taking over for Andrew Luck before the season started, but the 49ers showed that the Saints defense is vulnerable downfield when cornerback Eli Apple and free safety Marcus Williams aren’t on the same page. Depending on whether the Colts can welcome the return of star wideout T.Y. Hilton (who’s been battling a calf injury), they could see Brissett stretch his wings a little wider against New Orleans.

As for the Saints: winnable as this game appears, they’ve learned the hard way that no opponent can be overlooked this year. Just look at their loss to the lowly Atlanta Falcons coming out of the bye week. If the Saints are as undisciplined on defense as they were on Sunday against the 49ers, the Colts are capable of carving them up.

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