Colts head to New England to kickoff Week 5 in the NFL

The first quarter of the NFL season is in the books.

Week 5 gets started on Thursday night as Andrew Luck and the head east to Foxborough to take on the defending AFC champion .

The Colts lost another tough one last Sunday after head coach Frank Reich made a questionable decision to go for it on fourth down, which led to a 37-34 overtime loss to the Houston Texans. Indy has been in all 4 of their games, but much like 2017, they have struggled to find ways to win with just one victory to start the 2018 campaign. That is unlikely to change as double-digit underdogs in Week 5.

The Patriots went into an AFC East tussle on Sunday with first place Miami off a two-game losing streak, but put together their best effort of the young season with a 38-7 romp of the previously undefeated Dolphins. New England won the time of possession battle 36:22 to 23:38 and outgained their opposition 449 to 172 yards in a game they led from start to finish. The presence of newly acquired wide receiver Josh Gordon and 224 yards of total offense from the running back duo of James White and rookie Sony Michel, paved the way to a victory that prevented the Patriots from falling 3 games behind in the division.

The Patriots are almost certain to continue to get better as the season progresses and a big reason for that will be the return of wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman will be back on the field Thursday night after serving a 4-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. His presence has hurt Tom Brady since the lack of weaponry has allowed opposing defenses the ability to regularly double-team tight end Rob Gronkowski. With Edelman back in the slot and Gordon on the outside, the Patriots should work their way back into being one of the league’s best offenses.

Ten points is always hard to lay, especially against a Colts team that has had a knack for leading early and hanging in games despite a poor record dating back to the start of last season. That being said, Indianapolis comes into their fifth game of the year banged up on both sides of the ball. The Colts played five quarters last Sunday and their injury report is full of key members of their roster, including their top two pass catchers from last year, T.Y. Hilton and Jack Doyle, as well as their best defender in linebacker Darius Leonard.

I hate laying double-digits in the NFL, but this looks like a mismatch with the visitors traveling into Gillette Stadium on short rest. I expect Brady and crew to take it to the short-handed Colts and win going away.

Play:

New England (-10) 1 unit

Year to date record:

(13-5-2, +6 units)