Minnesota Vikings Vs. Indianapolis Colts: Betting Odds, Preview and Pick

Minnesota is seldom an NFL betting favorite and when they are, they usually don't cover the spread.

So as the Vikings visit the Indianapolis Colts as small 1.5-point favorites in Week 2, bettors are proceeding cautiously.

"Do you trust a bad Vikings team as road chalk or do you trust a bad Colts team to defend home field as a small underdog?" asked Jack Randall of OddsShark.com, the NFL lines provider to SBNation.

Two young quarterbacks will be front and center in this matchup between the Vikings and the Colts Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. Predictably, the betting action has been varied.

"The Colts are being bet each way right now, but have seen some sharp money on the home dog as well," said Bovada spokesman Kevin Bradley.

After a fairly uneventful three and a half quarters, the Jacksonville vs. Minnesota game ended with fireworks last week. Blaine Gabbert connected with Cecil Shorts to put the Jaguars up 23-20 with 20 seconds to go, then Christian Ponder got the Vikings in field goal range where rookie Blair Walsh kicked a 55-yarder to send it to overtime.

Another Walsh field goal in overtime gave the Vikings their first win of the season. It was also a successful return for Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns.

Forced to throw early and often with Chicago getting out to an early 17-7 lead, Andrew Luck had a tough game in his NFL debut going 23/45 with three interceptions. He did throw for 309 yards and a touchdown as well though.

Luck will undoubtedly progress as the season goes on, but it may not matter much if the Colts don't get their defense in order; 41 points and over 400 yards against is a rough start to the season.

Both teams failed to cover the spread last week (Minnesota was a 3.5-point favorite, Indianapolis was a 10-point underdog), but the Vikings got the win where it counted in the standings.

Neither team has had much recent success in this week's situation as Minnesota is 4-16 straight up in its last 20 road games and Indianapolis is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 home games.

Andrew Luck is one of the most polished quarterback prospects to ever come out of college, and one tough game on the road at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears' defense doesn't change that.

With the home crowd behind him and a much more manageable defense in front of him, Luck should be able to lead the Colts to their first win of the season Sunday.

PICK: Indianapolis +1.5