by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Wednesday, Aug 25, 2021
Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, August 27, 2021
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Where to Watch: NFL Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Spread: Colts -3.5, Lions +3.5; Over/Under: 32 points
Bet365: Spread: Colts -3.5, Lions +3.5; Over/Under: 31.5 points
BetMGM: Spread: Colts -3.5, Lions +3.5; Over/Under: 32.5 points
Preseason Record
Indianapolis Colts: 2-0 (AFC South)
Detroit Lions: 0-2 (NFC North)
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Indianapolis Colts vs Detroit Lions Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Indianapolis Colts: won last 2.
Detroit Lions: lost last 2.
Colts vs Lions Prediction
The Indianapolis Colts and the Detroit Lions will be meeting for one last preseason game before the season opener. The Colts are coming into this game off of a 12-10 win against the Minnesota Vikings. They have been showing a strong performance in the preseason as they are 2-0 with one game to go. The Lions come into this one off of a 26-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have been doing the complete opposite of the Colts this preseason with an overall record of 0-2 record so far.
The Colts won a low scoring battle in their last game but both of their quarterbacks played a pretty good game. Jacob Eason completed more than 50% of his passes throwing for 132 yards through the air but 0 touchdowns. Sam Ehlinger did not play as well as he completed more than 50% of his passes throwing for 70 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The running backs did make a large impact in this one but, there were some wide receivers that made some noise. Dezmon Patmon caught 4 passes for 60 yards, he and 2 other players averaged more than 14 yards per catch. The Colts have a pretty stout defense already but, with this being the last of their preseason games, both their offense and defense should get better as more of their starters and depth make their way into the lineup.
The Lions lost in a higher scoring game but they had some players find their groove in that one. David Blough completed 12/17 passes for 143 yards and 1 touchdown. He also had 26 yards rushing in the game. Tim Boyle struggled in this one though, completing less than 50% of his passes for just 44 yards. None of their running backs really had a breakout game in that one. The only receiver to really make an impact was Tom Kennedy who caught 4 passes for 61 yards. They were able to complete some bigger plays though, as 4 of their wide receivers averaged over 10 yards per catch. With this being the last preseason game, there should be some more starters playing in this one such as Jared Goff.
Indy and Det both have some upside here as one tends to be more defensive and the other leaning more on offense. The point-spread is set at 3.5 for this contest and the total points roughly at 32. Detroit has ramped up its scoring the past 2 games while Indy ranges from 10-20. There could be some value on Detroit ATS and the over in this one.
Colts Lions Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Friday, August 27, 2021 (7:00pm ET start time) is Colts 20 Lions 17.
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Key Injuries
Indianapolis Colts: Carson Wentz (QB) Questionable for the start of training camp with a foot injury.
Detroit Lions: Tyrell Williams (WR) Questionable for the start of training camp with a groin injury.
Players to Watch
Indianapolis Colts: One player to watch for the Colts is Jacob Eason. He has completed more than 50% of his passes and has thrown for over 150 yards in both preseason games. With Wentz still battling an injury, we could be seeing Eason as the starter in week 1 so keep an eye on what he has been doing in the preseason so far.
Detroit Lions: Jared Goff is one player to watch for the Lions in this game. He got a little bit of playing time in week 1 of the preseason but nothing last week. He will need to start getting ready for the real thing in this game so watch out for him as he will definitely be starting for the Lions in week 1.
Notable Quotes
"There were some good things, and there were a lot of things to clean up." - Jacob Eason on the Colts close win against the Vikings last week.
"Obviously, we didn't have a few guys go, but we can't lean on that as a crutch. We should've done a better job in the first half of executing, there's no way of getting around that. I'm not extremely pleased with how we played in that first group." - Tim Boyle on how he and his team played against the Steelers last week.
Recent Starting Lineups
Indianapolis Colts
J. Eason (QB)
M. Mack (RB)
Nyheim Hines (RB)
M. Pittman Jr. (WR)
D. Harris (WR)
Z. Pascal (WR)
Detroit Lions
D. Blough (QB)
C. Reynolds (RB)
A. St. Brown (WR)
D. Fells (TE)
Coaches:
Indianapolis Colts: Frank Reich
Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
