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Week 6: Colts at Titans MNF NFL Betting Preview and Pick

One of the most lopsided rivalries in the NFL this century has been Indianapolis against Tennessee. The Colts have lost just seven games against their AFC South foes since 2000 and have taken 16 of the past 17.

Then again, Indy for most of those games had either Peyton Manning, perhaps the best regular-season QB in league history, or Andrew Luck, a former No. 1 overall pick, under center. That will not be the case on Monday night as the Colts visit Nashville to close Week 6.

The Titans’ quarterback situation has created some uncertainty for this matchup. Former Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota sat out Tennessee’s offensively ugly 16-10 loss in Miami last week due to a hamstring injury. The extra day of rest perhaps increases Mariota’s chances of playing on Monday night, but the Titans (2-3) won’t risk any long-term injury to their franchise player.

Thus, it could be veteran journeyman Matt Cassel for the Titans, and he simply shouldn’t be an NFL starting quarterback. In place of Mariota two weeks ago in a blowout loss in Houston, Cassel was 4-for-10 for 21 yards with two interceptions. He was moderately better in the loss to the Dolphins completing 21 of 32 passes for 141 yards (a scant 4.41 yards per attempt) with a touchdown and no picks.

Meanwhile, the Colts (2-3) remain without Luck, who continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery and isn’t likely to play before Week 8 in Cincinnati at the earliest. The Titans won’t miss him as Luck is 9-0 in his career vs. Tennessee with 15 touchdown passes, 2,353 yards and a rating of 92.4. Last year, the Colts won in Nashville 34-26 and in Indianapolis 24-17, and Luck completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 615 yards and five scores combined.

It’s Jacoby Brissett making his fifth straight start for Indianapolis after Scott Tolzien had the honors in Week 1. Brissett threw for a career-high 314 yards and rushed for a score in last week’s 26-23 overtime win over San Francisco.

The Colts have been competitive at home this year but have lost their road games at the Rams and Seahawks by a combined score of 92-27. The fourth quarter has been a problem all season for the Indianapolis defense as only New England has given up more yards per game in the fourth, while Indy has surrendered an NFL-worst 64 points in the quarter.

The home team has covered five of the past seven in the series, and Tennessee will do the same if Mariota plays on Monday night.