The Indianapolis Colts (3-11) host the Baltimore Ravens (8-6), who are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture, but only by a single game.
Nothing on paper indicates that the Ravens, winners of four of their last five, should struggle to score against the Colts. The Colts defense is bad all across the board as they rank 31st in points allowed, 29th in rushing yards per game allowed and 30th in passing yards per game allowed.
On the other hand, nothing on paper indicates that the Colts will be able to score a lot of points on the Ravens defense. The Ravens are fourth in points allowed per game, while the Colts offensive unit is 31st in points scored per game. The Ravens rank 9th in passing yards per game allowed, while the Colts passing attack is 30th in passing yards per game.
Even more important, Baltimore is tied for seventh in sacks, while Indianapolis is ranked dead last in the league in sacks allowed per game. Bottom line is that there nothing in the stats to suggest that this game won’t be anything, but a very big mismatch.
To make matter worse for the Colts, the Ravens have a solid record this season when facing opponents with a losing record. Of the Ravens six losses, only one came to a team under .500 (the Bears in week six).
This should be enough to show that, generally speaking, the Ravens don’t overlook their opponents regardless of their record.
More importantly, none of the Colts wins have come against anything close to a quality opponent. Indianapolis this season has defeated the Cleveland Browns (0-14), the pre-Garappolo 49ers, and the Houston Texans (without Deshaun Watson).
No shocker should be expected in this game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana, as the Ravens should win their ninth game this season and improve to 5-4 on the road to stay in the playoff hunt.
