Jacoby Brissett and the Indianapolis Colts begin the post-Luck era by going on the road in NFL Week 1 to face the Los Angeles Chargers.
Two teams in relative disarray, the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers, are set to face off in NFL Week 1 to kick off their respective 2019 seasons. Things haven’t gone swimmingly leading up to the regular season for either team but both groups have expectations as they’re set to meet at Dignity Health Sports Park.
For the Colts, they were hoping this was a Super Bowl team that would led by Andrew Luck. Instead, the star quarterback retired, leaving Jacoby Brissett at the helm of the offense. That lowers the ceiling of this team dramatically.
Make no mistake, though, Indianapolis has accrued a great deal of young talent in recent years under general manager Chris Ballard. The hope now is that Brissett, a fiery young defense and a strong offensive line can still help this team find success in the wake of Luck’s retirement.
Things haven’t gone swimmingly this offseason for the Chargers either, though Philip Rivers at least didn’t retire. However, star second-year safety Derwin James and starting offensive tackle Russell Okung are both injured coming into the regular season. Adding to their issues, running back Melvin Gordon isn’t with the team as he holds out for a new contract.
The Bolts still have plenty of talent remaining with Rivers, Keenan Allen and a good offense in addition to Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram and a fierce defense. However, it’s hard not to think they’re lesser without the pieces that are currently unavailable.
How to watch and bet on Colts vs. Chargers
Date: Sunday, Sept. 8
Start Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Location: Dignity Health Sports Park – Carson, CA
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket, FuboTV
Point Spread: Chargers -6.5
Moneyline: Los Angeles -290, Indianapolis +240
Over/Under: 45
(Odds per Bovada)
Given the injuries that the Chargers are currently faced with in addition to the absence of Gordon, I’m inclined to take the Colts on the road as they’re getting 6.5 points. However, the Bolts are still the safer moneyline bet, even if I’d rather stay away than wager on that. As for the Over/Under, my gut says to go with the over but not very confidently.
Are you wanting to keep up with the game on Sunday? We’ve got you covered with a live and updating box score here.
We’ll see if the Chargers are able to survive their strokes of bad luck early in the season but also how the Colts will fare with Luck in the lineup. It should be an intriguing and telling matchup in Carson on Sunday as these two squads square off in NFL Week 1.