Panthers vs. Colts: Betting odds, preview, and pick
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire)
August 14th, 2021
Lucas Oil Stadium is the site for Sunday’s standalone preseason matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the Indianapolis Colts. It will be the first of three exhibition matchups for each club.
Grab your coffee & watch him juke 👀@CMC_22 pic.twitter.com/9kogWK0NYX
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 13, 2021
Join us as we break down this contest and deliver our best bet of the day.
Carolina Panthers (0-0) at Indianapolis Colts (0-0)
Backup quarterback battle favors Indy
Quarterback Carson Wentz (foot) will not be available for the Colts for several weeks, leaving Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger to split first-team reps in practice. Eason has been named the starter for Sunday, with Ehlinger likely to follow.
The pair combined to go 20-for-26 (12-for-15 with the first unit) against the Panthers during a joint practice on Thursday, with neither committing a turnover.
Giving the people what they want: A Sam Ehlinger vs Jacob Eason QB BATTLE pic.twitter.com/1fJ1G1xqyl
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) August 11, 2021
Sam Darnold (none) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game by Carolina head coach Matt Rhule, meaning the battle for the second-string quarterback role between Will Grier and P.J. Walker will play out in the team’s preseason opener. Neither has been particularly impressive in recent practices, nor have they excelled on the field; Grier didn’t play at all in 2020 after going 28-for-53 with four interceptions in 2019, while Walker went 32-for-56 with a touchdown and four picks last year.
Colts a deeper team at most positions
It shouldn’t be surprising that a team that went 11-5 and made the playoffs in Indy last year has the edge over a Carolina team that went 5-11 in 2020. The Colts will be helped further by Rhule’s decision to rest the majority of his starters in this contest.
Matt Rhule says most of the starters will not play in Sunday’s preseason game.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 13, 2021
If the Colts choose to rest top running back Jonathan Taylor, they can still lean on talented backup Marlon Mack. T.Y. Hilton might play little to none of this game out wide, but Parris Campbell, Michael Pittman Jr., and Mike Strachan represent strong secondary options for Eason and Ehlinger.
Indy was eighth in team defense a year ago, while the Panthers were 18th.
Colts vs. Panthers injury report
| Carolina Panthers | Indianapolis Colts |
|---|
Sam Darnold: Out (none) | Carson Wentz: Out (foot) |
Denzel Perryman: Questionable (undisclosed) | Quenton Nelson: Out (foot) |
Keith Kirkwood: Questionable (concussion) | Ryan Kelly: Questionable (elbow) |
Kwity Paye: Questionable (ankle) | |
DeForest Buckner: Questionable (foot) |
Colts and Panthers betting trends
The Colts are 1-5 ATS in their last six home games.
The Panthers are 7-0 ATS in their last seven road games.
The Panthers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog.
The Under is 7-3 in the Colts’ last 10 games played in August.
The Over is 12-6 in the Panthers’ last 18 games played in August.
The verdict
The Colts are clearly the better and deeper team. Don’t expect Carolina to keep up.
Score prediction: Colts 21, Panthers 10
NFL pick: Colts -1.5
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