Though they are at different places in the standings, both the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears offer plenty of intrigue in their respective Sunday contests for bettors in Indiana and Illinois.
The Colts, who are tied with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South at 9-4, host the Houston Texans in a key intradivisional matchup. Having already split its two games with the Titans and holding a record of 2-2 versus AFC South teams, Indianapolis needs to win this contest to have a chance to at least match Tennessee’s intradivisional record (currently 4-1) for tiebreaker purposes.
The Bears, meanwhile, can keep their wild card hopes alive with a victory at NFC North foe Minnesota in a clash of 6-7 teams. Chicago reignited its flickering playoff chances last Sunday with a 36-7 thrashing of the Texans to end a six-game losing streak as it moved into a tie with Minnesota, one game out of the final playoff berth in the NFC.
Bettors may have to ponder the hook with the Colts
Sportsbooks across the Hoosier State — the Kambi platform covering BetRivers, DraftKings, and Unibet as well as FanDuel, PointsBet, BetMGM, and William Hill — all have the Colts solid favorites to complete a season sweep of the Texans. Indianapolis, which won 26-20 at Houston in Week 13, are 7-point favorites at the Kambi shops, while the other four books have added the half-point hook to challenge bettors.
The Kambi platform is offering the Colts at -117 to lay the touchdown, but they can be grabbed at -102 (FanDuel), -105 (PointsBet), and -110 (BetMGM and William Hill) at -7.5 points.
The over/under also has a half-point band, with FanDuel and BetMGM entering low at 50.5 points with a -115/-105 split. PointsBet ticks higher to 51 at +100/-121, while William Hill and Kambi are offering the same number at -110 and -107/-114, respectively.
The moneyline has a fairly wide band, with PointsBet the best offering at -334 and ranging all the way to -375 at BetMGM.
Indianapolis’ team total for over/under wagers can be had at a variety of numbers with BetMGM offering its customary three options. That book has 27.5 points at -155/+120, 30.5 points at +100/-125 and 33.5 points at +145/-190. PointsBet counters with 29 points at the standard -110, while FanDuel and Kambi both are offering 29.5 points, with the former split -116/-106 and the latter -118/-110.
As of 11:30 a.m. CST on Friday, only Kambi and BetMGM had offerings on players scoring touchdown. Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is a -182 pick to find the end zone according to Kambi, but BetMGM is offering -120. Kambi, though, does have better options for T.Y. Hilton (+125/+105) and Nyheim Hines (+145/-115). For those seeking plays on goal-line opportunities, Colts backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett is a +260 option.
For first-half plays, Indianapolis can be grabbed at either -4 or -4.5 at the sportsbooks. BetMGM and Kambi both have the higher number available with splits of -105/-120 and -106/-122, respectively. FanDuel and William Hill both have the Colts -4 at -110, while PointsBet has a -115/-105 split on that number. BetMGM is also offering the Colts at -3.5 (-120/-105) and -4 (-115/-110).
The over/under for the opening two quarters ranges from 24.5 to 26.5 points. BetMGM has the full range covered, offering -110 on the low end and +110/-135 on the upper end. It also has a -105/-115 split for 25.5 points, which Kambi also has at -113/-108. PointsBet (-115/-105) and William Hill (-110) also are offering 24.5 points, while FanDuel is on the upper range at 26.5 points (+110/-130).
Kambi and BetMGM are also offering a first-half team total of 14.5 points for the Colts, with Kambi split -112/-125 and BetMGM -105/-120. BetMGM also has first-quarter listings for the Colts, who are -3 in the opening 15 minutes at +105 along with an over/under of 10 at -110/-115 and a team total of 6.5 points at -155/-120.
Bears on the other side of the hook as underdogs
Chicago is looking to avenge a 19-13 home loss to the Vikings in Week 10 in which the offense totaled only 149 yards and its special teams accounted for the lone touchdown as Cordarrelle Patterson took the second-half kickoff 104 yards to the house. The Bears have won their last two games in Minnesota after losing the previous five.
At the five mobile sportsbooks in Illinois, bettors can grab that extra half-point at a key number in three of them. The Kambi platform, which covers BetRivers and DraftKings, and FanDuel all list the Bears at +3.5, with Kambi offering -113 and FanDuel -120. PointsBet has Chicago +3 at -105 in each direction, while William Hill has a +100/-120 split.
The British-based oddsmaker also has the best moneyline offering at +155, followed by PointsBet (+150), Kambi (+147), and FanDuel (+142). The over/under is 46 points at PointsBet (-115/-105) and William Hill (-110), while Kambi (-112/-109) and FanDuel (-106/-114) counter with 46.5 points.
FanDuel is on the low end for team total offerings at 21 points (-110), while both PointsBet and Kambi have a high-side hook at 21.5 points at -110 and -110/-118, respectively.
There is some variance on first-half lines as Kambi and FanDuel have established Chicago as 1.5-point underdogs, while PointsBet and William Hill are a full point higher. FanDuel has the Bears even money to cover, while Kambi offers -103, and PointsBet has -105 and William Hill -110 at Chicago +2.5.
William Hill and PointsBet are also aligned for the first-half over/under at 23 points, with both offering -110, and Kambi and FanDuel nudging higher to 23.5. FanDuel has a split of +105/-130 while Kambi furnishes +100/-125. Kambi also has a first-half team total of 10.5 points at +110/-152.
FanDuel is offering a pick ’em for a first-quarter spread at +116/-140, but bettors confident in the Bears leading after 15 minutes can also snatch them at +128 on the standard moneyline and +165 on the 3-way option. Kambi has the Bears as 1.5-point underdogs in the opening quarter with a -143/+105 split. Both have a first-quarter over/under of 9.5 points, with Kambi split -109/-120 and FanDuel -106/-116.