- The Indianapolis Colts are -125 betting favorites against the Carolina Panthers.
- The Colts may put out a more NFL-ready product as they attempt to figure out their QB room.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Carolina Panthers will travel to Lucas Oil Stadium to play the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. The Colts have an interesting situation entering the game while Matt Rhule will coach his first NFL preseason game as a head coach.
The Indianapolis Colts have a slight advantage in their first preseason game according to online gambling sites. The Carolina Panthers come back as minor underdogs in the matchup.
Panthers vs Colts Moneyline Odds
- Carolina Panthers +105
- Indianapolis Colts -125
This will be Matt Rhule’s first preseason game as an NFL head coach as the 2020 preseason was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. Meanwhile, Indianapolis has a unique problem to try and solve prior to the start of the regular season.
More Than Just A Preseason Game?
The Colts need to figure out who’s going to be the starting quarterback in Week 1 of the regular season. Carson Wentz is coming off surgery and his timetable is unconfirmed thus leaving a QB competition between Sam Ehlinger and Jacob Eason.
As Frank Reich attempts to figure out his possible Week 1 starter, the two could play the entire game while running real plays as opposed to basic reads. Meanwhile, Rhule could play extra conservatively as it is the first preseason game of his career.
Even if the Panthers were to try a little harder, NFL betting sites could still be accurate in listing Indianapolis as the favorite as reports suggest the Panthers’ offense has been unimpressive in practices.
First report from Indianapolis: Matt Rhule said the Colts joint practices would reveal a lot about this Panthers team. The offense lacked energy and made all sorts of mistakes.
Plus, notes from practice. https://t.co/ACDBDr9wx1
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 13, 2021
For those interested in betting on the total, online sportsbooks have a line that’s one of the lowest of all the Week 1 preseason games.
Panthers vs Colts Total Odds
- Over 34.5 -110
- Under 34.5 -110