NFL Monday Night Football Predictions & Preview: Indianapolis Colts vs Carolina Panthers
The Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers will face one another on Monday night in a critical game. This should be a good one, considering we have two No. 1 overall pick quarterbacks starting tonight.
Let's preview the game and pick a winner.
Carolina Panthers (6-0)
They aren't a very flashy team, but their record speaks for itself. The Panthers are a perfect 6-0 this season, and they've been winning every way imaginable. Their defense is playing at an elite level, and quarterback Cam Newton may very well be the MVP front-runner right now.
Offensively, the Panthers have the No. 1 rushing attack in the league. Jonathan Stewart is doing just fine considering DeAngelo Williams is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Panthers are controlling the clock and limiting turnovers, which is a great formula for winning in this league. As far as the quarterback is concerned, Newton doesn't have gaudy numbers this season, but he continues to get the job done when it matters most. His last minute game-winning touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks was the brightest moment of the season.
Although this should be a great game, it's really not a "must win" match for the Panthers. It's not a divisional game. It's not even a conference game, and the Panthers caught a huge break on Sunday. The Atlanta Falcons were upset by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so the Panthers still currently have a two-game lead in the NFC South in the loss column.
The Panthers play the Green Bay Packers in their next game.
Indianapolis Colts (3-4)
The Colts will be on the road, but they have to start winning games. Andrew Luck is turning the ball over far too often, and now the Colts find themselves with a disappointing 3-4 record. Thankfully for the Colts, they play in a putrid AFC South division, and they are actually in first place.
The biggest issue for the Colts this year has been their schedule. They have dominated opponents in the AFC South with an impressive 3-0 record, but they just can't seem to win games outside the division. The Colts are 0-4 against teams outside the division this season, and now they have to face the 6-0 Panthers on the road. That's not a great formula.
Luck has to stop turning the ball over, and it's time for the Colts' running game to get going. The Colts secondary has been torched this season by numerous quarterbacks, and they're going to have their hands full with Greg Olsen.
The Colts face the Denver Broncos in their next game.
Schedule
The Colts and Panthers will face each other on Monday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The game will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can watch a live game stream here.
Prediction
Seeing is believing, but fans just haven't seen the Colts do anything impressive outside of their comfortable division this year. They need this win more than the Panthers do, but that's not enough of a reason to pick them. It looks like the Colts are going to fall to 3-5, but still lead their division.
Panthers win 27-17
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1
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