Indianapolis at Oakland Spread, Expert Pick & TV Info

It’s a matchup of two terrific young quarterbacks on Saturday when Andrew Luck brings his Colts to Oakland to face Derek Carr. Indianapolis has to win this game to keep its slim playoff hopes alive. The Raiders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2002 but still have an AFC West title and first-round postseason bye to play for, and they are home NFL betting favorites.

Indianapolis at Oakland Spread, Expert Pick & TV Info

#INDvsOAK pic.twitter.com/3jyXdMqOwX

— OAKLAND RAIDERS (@RAIDERS) December 21, 2016

When: Saturday, Dec. 24, 4:05 PM ET Where: Oakland Coliseum TV: CBS Radio: Indianapolis / Oakland Stream Option: NFL Live Opening NFL Lines: Raiders -3.5 (53)

Why Bet on Indianapolis?

The Colts (7-7) played their best game of the year last week in a 34-6 win at Minnesota. Luck threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Robert Turbin rushed for two touchdowns, Mike Adams forced a fumble and added an interception for the Colts. Frank Gore rushed for 101 yards and Indianapolis won on the road for the fourth time this season. Gore had 115 yards from scrimmage to give him 16,332 for his career, surpassing Tony Dorsett for 10th on the NFL’s career list. He also passed John Riggins for 12th on the league’s career carries list. “Right now we’re playing well, [but] unfortunately we do need help and we’re not controlling our own destiny,” Adams said. “That’s the most unfortunate part right now. If we didn’t need help, we’re clicking at the right time. Our momentum right now is crazy.” Going into the fourth quarter of Week 15, things looked much better for the Colts to win the AFC South. However, the Texans and Titans both erased fourth-quarter deficits. Those comeback victories were devastating to the already slim playoff hopes for the Colts. Now, with two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Colts must have the following happen to win the division: *-Colts win out @Oakland (11-3) and against Jacksonville (2-12) *-Texans lose out against Cincinnati (5-8- 1) and @Tennessee (8-6) *-Titans lose @Jacksonville (2-12) and then beat Houston (8-6) in Week 17 The contest will mark the 14th all-time meeting between the teams in the regular season, with the Raiders holding a 7-6 advantage. Indianapolis defeated Oakland, 21-17, in their last matchup on Sept. 8, 2013 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Why Bet on Oakland?

The Raiders (11-3) won in San Diego 19-16 last week to clinch at least a wild-card spot on a Sebastian Jankowski 44-yard field goal with 2:40 left. He’s the only Raiders player remaining from the franchise’s last playoff trip. The winning drive started on the Raiders 34 and included a 27-yard run by Latavius Murray and a 22-yard pass from Carr to Seth Roberts. Oakland’s trio of running backs ran 24 times for 140 yards Sunday, including 109 yards before first contact for an average of 4.5 yards before contact per rush. Entering Sunday, San Diego had held opposing running backs to 1.8 yards before contact per rush. Carr completed 19-of- 30 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Raiders remain concerned with Carr’s twice-dislocated finger, keeping him in the shotgun all game even in goal-to-go situations. The Raiders also struggled in scoring position during Sunday’s victory, settling for four Janikowski field goals. Coach Jack Del Rio said Carr’s (finger) inability to go under center is “an issue. At some point, we will feel better about going under center, we will. But until then, we’ll execute the best we can out of the formations we feel most comfortable with.” Ever since he got hurt on the second play of the second half against the Carolina Panthers, Carr has led Oakland to comeback victories over the Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Chargers, with his only loss coming at the Kansas City Chiefs. In their eight games away from Oakland-Alameda Coliseum (including their trip to Mexico City), the Raiders are 7-1 in 2016. Defensively, Oakland has yet to allow a single point in the final three minutes of any game in 2016. When expanding the statistical observation out to the entire fourth quarter, the Raiders have allowed just 10 points total in the past five weeks. Oakland can win the AFC West this week with a victory and Chiefs loss. The Raiders could be the AFC’s top seed if they win out and the Patriots lose once.

Indianapolis at Oakland Expert Pick: Oakland Raiders

Colts are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 meetings. Over is 6-2 in Raiders last 8 games overall. Go Raiders on NFL odds and over the total.