The Denver Broncos face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
This season brings a fresh start to both teams, with Denver hoping to find its quarterback of the future and Indianapolis looking for a return to the playoffs. Both Sean Payton and Shane Steichen enter their second seasons as head coaches of their current team.
Let's preview the game and make our Broncos vs Colts prediction for this NFL preseason Week 1 matchup.
Broncos vs Colts Prediction
The Colts are 1.5-point favorites (-1.5) at home against the Broncos on Sunday, with Indianapolis -135 on the moneyline. Denver is +110 to win on the road. The total is set at over/under 38.5 points scored by both teams.
What does that mean for my best bet? I'm basing this Broncos vs Colts pick on the uncertainty surrounding the Broncos' quarterback room. Indianapolis will see its starters begin the game before giving way to a second unit led by a former Super Bowl champion. My Broncos vs Colts pick is on Indy to cover the spread as slight favorites.
For more, let's get to my Broncos vs Colts preview and the latest Broncos vs Colts odds.
Broncos vs Colts Odds
| Broncos Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -110 | 37.5 -110o / -110u | +110 |
| Colts Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -110 | 37.5 -110o / -110u | -130 |
Sam Farley's Broncos vs Colts Prediction Preview, Betting Analysis
Denver Broncos Preview: Broncos Give Stidham First Start of Preseason
The most interesting storyline around the Broncos this preseason is their battle for the starting job under center.
Russell Wilson is gone, and Denver is now left with rookie Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. It sounds like Wilson, unsurprisingly, is already out of the QB battle, but the competition remains hot between the other two.
It's already been confirmed by Payton that Stidham will start this game, with Payton explaining that they need his experience. Stidham went 1-1 in two starts for Denver last season and is a capable QB. Nix will see his first start against the Packers in the Broncos' second preseason game but will play some part in this game. Nix is a fascinating player who divided opinion around the scouting community as the 12th overall pick in this year's draft.
Outside of the quarterback position, Payton said that he expected the starting offense to see 15-18 plays on Sunday, which should give a chance for the likes of wide receiver Courtland Sutton, running back Javonte Williams and company to find the end zone.
Indianapolis Colts Preview: Don't Expect Much from Colts' Richardson
The Colts are in the fortunate position of already knowing exactly who their starter is at QB with the team having high hopes of Anthony Richardson, who looked exceptional before injury in his rookie season.
Fortunately for us, Steichen has confirmed that starters, including Richardson, will be playing on Sunday, although it'll be "a series or two." The Colts offensive line looks healthy, and it'll be interesting to see the offense can perform with everybody besides injured WR Josh Downs playing.
Once the second-string guys come in, we should also see some assured QB play with Joe Flacco, who signed as a free agent in the offseason after seeing some success late last season with the Browns. We saw last season that he's a very capable game manager.
After Flacco will be third-string QB Sam Ehlinger, who infamously started late in the 2022 season when Jeff Saturday was the Colts' interim head coach. He's familiar with the team and is a good athlete.
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My Broncos vs Colts Prediction: Bet on the Colts to Cover the Spread
While the Broncos' QB1 battle is the most interesting angle for this matchup, it doesn't deliver confidence in them to cover in this game.
In what we've seen from Stidham, he hasn't been convincing enough to show he's worthy of a starting job, while Nix is a hugely polarizing figure. The Colts are far more reliable. Richardson and a healthy starting offensive line could rack up a couple of scoring drives before the more-than-capable Flacco takes over.
I'm betting on the more reliable QB room.
Broncos vs Colts Pick: Indy to Cover Spread in Preseason Opener
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