The Daily Sweat: Nick Foles could give the Colts a chance to compete
Matt Ryan has had a very good career, but he had a bad, turnover-filled season. Sam Ehlinger wasn't the answer either.
We don't know what Nick Foles will be for the Indianapolis Colts, but that's been the case most of Foles' career. Foles has had one of the weirdest careers in NFL history, with some extreme ups and downs. But, as Philadelphia Eagles fans can tell you, the ups are pretty good.
Foles is the unknown as the Colts take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. The Colts are 4.5-point underdogs at BetMGM. The line moved from 3.5 before the news that Ryan had been benched for Foles. Maybe that just means more value on the Colts.
Foles, who is 33 years old, hasn't thrown a pass this season. He threw only 35 last season, but did get a start for the Chicago Bears. The Bears won that game.
Teams often rally around a new quarterback. The same could happen with the Colts, though it is late in the season and you have to wonder about each team's motivation level. Look at the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
On the other side is the Chargers, who might just be setting everyone up for a disappointment.
The Chargers have won three of four and look like a pretty good bet to make the playoffs. Though this is right about the time the Chargers let everyone down with a bad loss. We all know their history by now. But we'll see.
The Chargers are clearly the better team in this game. We don't know what to make of the Colts, with their new quarterback, curious interim coach and recent habit of getting absolutely blown out in the fourth quarter. Maybe it will be an entertaining game, especially if good Foles shows up.
Here is the first look at the sports betting slate for Monday:
Quick Lane Bowl in the afternoon
There is a midday bowl game, which is always nice. The Quick Lane Bowl kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Eastern, with Bowling Green a 3.5-point favorite over New Mexico State. It's always fun to have a football game randomly on a Monday afternoon.
EPL starts up again
The World Cup is done, and the English Premier League is back. There was a huge slate of matches on Monday and you might have missed most of them by now, but it's still good to see the EPL back. Maybe you can catch the late match, Arsenal vs. West Ham United, at 3 p.m. Eastern.
NBA has 7 games
After a good Christmas slate, the NBA keeps rolling on with seven more games on Monday. It's not the best schedule since most of the marquee teams played Sunday, but a hot Brooklyn Nets team at a rising Cleveland Cavaliers team is a really good game. The Cavs are a 2.5-point favorite. The Nets have won eight in a row and it's tough to go against them as an underdog.
What's the best bet?
I'll take the Colts and the points. Foles will give them a little boost. And it is a lot of points for a home team. Ride with the underdog.
