Indianapolis Colts vs Minnesota Vikings Matchup

Read our Colts vs Vikings pick and preview for this NFL pre-season week 9 game in Minneapolis. Check out who we like to win and cover the spread in this regular season NFL matchup.

Indianapolis and Minnesota will face off on Sunday, November 3rd at 8:20 ET at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Vikings are favored by -5 on the point spread and have money line odds of -240. The Colts, the road underdog, have money line odds of +197. This non-conference matchup is being televised on NBC, and the over/under line is set at 46.5 points.

Colts vs. Vikings Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NFL
Teams: Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings
Where: Minneapolis at U.S. Bank Stadium
Date: Sunday, November 3rd
Betting Odds MIN -5, IND +197 | MIN -240 O/U 46.5

Colts Preview:

Heading into week 9, the Colts hold a 4-4 record, putting them 2nd in the AFC South. Our projections give them a 64.0% chance of making the playoffs and a 15.7% chance of winning the division. Indianapolis is 9th in our NFL power rankings. They are 3-1 at home but just 1-3 on the road. In week 8, they lost 23-20 to the Texans, but they covered the spread as 5-point underdogs. The O/U line for that game was 45, with the teams combining for 43 points.

Indianapolis is 7-1 against the spread this season, including a 6-game ATS winning streak. They are 5-0 as underdogs and 2-1 as favorites. Their average scoring margin is +0.4 points per game. The Colts’ O/U record is 3-5, with the under hitting in their last 3 games.

Colts Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 9, the Colts are 21st in our offensive power rankings. They rank 19th in the NFL in points per game (21.9) and 16th in yards per game (326). Indianapolis is 20th in passing yards per game (198) and 19th in passing attempts. On the ground, they are 15th in rushing attempts and 11th in rushing yards per game (128). The Colts are 19th in 3rd-down conversions, with a 37.6% success rate, and 17th in red zone conversion percentage, despite being 9th in red zone attempts. They have been strong in the 1st quarter, ranking 5th in the NFL in points scored.

Anthony Richardson struggled in week 8, posting a passer rating of 48 after completing 10 of 32 passes for 175 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He was sacked 5 times in the loss to Houston. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 105 yards on 20 carries, while Josh Downs led the team with 4 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Colts Team Defense

In their 23-20 loss to the Texans, the Colts' defense allowed 267 passing yards and 96 rushing yards on 29 attempts. They finished with two sacks and allowed Houston to convert on just 30.8% of their third down attempts. The Colts also allowed the Texans to complete 67.6% of their passes and gain 363 total yards.

Despite the loss, the Colts' defense had a positive 5-tackle differential for loss, but they didn't generate more quarterback hits than the Texans.

Vikings Preview:

After starting the season with five straight wins, the Vikings have now dropped two in a row, including a 30-20 loss to the Rams in week 8. Minnesota was favored by 2.5 points but couldn’t get the win on the road, bringing their record to 5-2. They are now 3rd in the NFC North and 6th in the conference standings. Our projections give the Vikings a 67.1% chance of making the playoffs and a 10.5% chance of winning the division.

Heading into week 9, the Vikings are 11th in our NFL power rankings. They have a +7.3 scoring margin and are 5-2 against the spread. They are 3-0 ATS as underdogs but just 2-2 as favorites. Their O/U record is 3-4, with the over hitting in their last two games.

Vikings Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 9, the Vikings are 12th in our offensive power rankings. They are 7th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 26.9 points per game, and lead the league in 1st-quarter scoring. Minnesota ranks 16th in passing yards per game (213.6) and 22nd in rushing, with 111.4 yards per game. They are 13th in 3rd-down conversions and 11th in red zone efficiency.

Sam Darnold had a passer rating of 128 in week 8, throwing for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18/25 passing. Justin Jefferson led the team with 8 catches for 115 yards, while Aaron Jones rushed for 58 yards on 19 carries. Minnesota scored 14 points in the 1st quarter against the Rams but managed just 6 points in the final three quarters.

Vikings Team Defense

In their 30-20 loss to the Rams, the Vikings' defense gave up four passing touchdowns and allowed the Rams to complete 73.5% of their passes for 279 yards. Minnesota's defense struggled to get off the field, as the Rams converted on 40% of their third down attempts. Despite winning the tackles for loss battle, the Vikings were unable to record any sacks.

The Vikings' secondary did come up with one interception, but they were unable to slow down the Rams' passing attack. On the day, the Vikings gave up 386 total yards and allowed the Rams to score four passing touchdowns.

Colts vs Vikings Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past ten road matchups, Indianapolis has an ATS record of 6-4 while averaging 19 per game. The team went 4-6 overall in these games.
Minnesota has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 26 points per game while allowing 21. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Indianapolis has an ATS mark of 6-4 while going 2-8 straight up.
As the betting favorite, the Vikings have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Minnesota posted a straight up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.