:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71463473/1430145083.0.jpg "Colts vs. Broncos picks: Week 5 Thursday Night Football predictions, betting splits")
The Denver Broncos take on the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season. We've become used to seeing pretty bad football on Thursday night since the inception of the game. This could be one of the worst of the season given the injury reports. Jonathan Taylor is out for the Colts. Javonte Williams tore his ACL last week for the Broncos. Neither veteran QB – Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan – has played well this season. Either way, you're betting on the game and we got the splits.
Colts vs. Broncos, Week 5 betting splits
Betting the spread: The Broncos are 3.5-point favorites. Theres 67% of the handle and 61% of bets are being placed on the Broncos to cover.
Is the public right? Sure. It's the home team on TNF against a weak opponent missing their best player. So with the spread 3.5 points, this feels like the Broncos cover on the hook at the worst. Denver's defense generally plays better at home with the altitude and Indy doesn't have many offensive players who are imposing. This isn't necessarily the spot I'd be looking to bet tonight.
Betting the over/under: The point total is installed at 42. There's 66% of the handle and 70% of bets are being placed on the under.
Is the public right? Ahhhh yes, this is the spot. The under is at 42 and historically we've seen these TNF games go under. Plus, you've got two decent defenses going up against banged up offenses with struggling QBs. The only thing we'd be worried about in terms of the over hitting is if Russ decides to start “cooking” again. This game has 21-17 written all over it.
Betting the moneyline: The Broncos are home favorites with moneyline odds at -175. Moneyline odds for the Colts are at +150. There's 73% of the handle and 63% of bets are being placed on the Broncos to win.
Is the public right? Not really much value on this line. The game should be close, so there's more of a chance Indy pulls it out at +150. That's apparent with the percentage of bets (37%) on the Colts being much higher than the handle (27%).