Colts vs. Cardinals Odds
| Colts Odds | +2.5 (-115) |
| Cardinals Odds | -2.5 (-105) |
| Over/Under | 49 |
| Time | 8:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | CBS |
Even though Christmas is usually a day reserved for the NBA, this year, it falls on a Saturday, and the NFL has decided to take advantage.
The Cleveland Browns play a pivotal game at the Green Bay Packers during the afternoon slot, while the Indianapolis Colts will face the Arizona Cardinals for the night cap.
Both the Colts and Cardinals will have important players out for this contest. Starting All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson will miss this contest on the COVID-19 list for the Colts, while All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be out for this game and the rest of the regular season for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals have been reeling on the backs of Kyler Murray's poor play and have lost their last two, including an embarrassing 30-12 loss to the Detroit Lions, the league's worst team.
Meanwhile, the Colts have won six of their last eight contests on the backs of Jonathan Taylor, the best running back in the NFL this season. Indy ranks No. 1 in rushing on account of Taylor and that offensive line.
As a result of this current form, the public is hammering the Colts at plus money. The Colts' moneyline at +110 has over 73% of the total. The Colts' spread at +2.5 has roughly 96% of the money, too.
The public is hammering these Jonathan Taylor props, too.
Colts vs. Cardinals Most Popular Player Prop Picks for Christmas Day
- Jonathan Taylor to score a touchdown at any time (-250)
- Jonathan Taylor to rush for more than 100.5 yards (-125)
- Kyler Murray to score a touchdown at any time (+185)
Jonathan Taylor has scored a touchdown in an absolutely ridiculous 11 straight games. I usually don't bet touchdown props — they're too variable for my liking and normally have negative expected value — and this one is no exception. For this contest, go with Taylor's rushing yards prop.
Taylor has rushed for at least 101 yards in eight of his last 11 games. Using that historical precedent alone, that implies that these odds should be somewhere closer to -160. The Cardinals' rush defense, while solid at No. 8 in the NFL, is appreciably worse than its pass defense.
Against the Cardinals' top-ranked pass defense, the Colts will be depending mightily on Taylor.
As far as Kyler Murray's rushing TD prop goes, he's scored a touchdown using his feet in just four of his 11 games this season. With just +185 juice, there's not enough value there to justify a wager — plus, as aforementioned, touchdown props are too variable.
Stick with Taylor's rushing yards prop.
