Just like that, the Carson Wentz era in Indianapolis is over.

Following a frustrating close to a promising 2021 season, the Colts cut the cord quickly on the Wentz experiment, shipping him off to the Washington Commanders for a pair of third-round picks and a swap of second-round picks in 2022, allowing the Colts to get out from under a $28 million cap hit ahead of the 2022 season.

Now, General Manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich find themselves in familiar territory once again: searching for a potential franchise quarterback for the fifth offseason in a row since joining the Colts.

Ballard, Reich and the Colts have to get it right at the most important position in all of sports, and quickly.

Good news is, there are some options that the Colts could try and turn to this offseason to settle the position. Second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger and journeyman practice squad quarterback James Morgan are the two lone quarterbacks on the roster, so the Colts will be adding a name to the room one way or another.

Here are some logical targets for the Colts.

The Favorites

Jimmy Garoppolo

Many fans are probably rolling their eyes reading that name, considering Garoppolo doesn’t quite move the needle overall. He doesn’t elevate his team, struggles with turnovers in big spots and typically can’t hit the big throw when his team needs him (sound familiar?).

However, Garoppolo is a winner, having gone 33-14 as a starter over eight seasons in his career. I generally fall into the camp that wins aren’t a QB stat, but he isn’t going to kill a team in general and still has some talent overall.

It’s also worth noting the San Francisco 49ers are abysmal without Garoppolo under center under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

What Garoppolo can be is a sort of facilitator, much like the Colts envisioned Wentz being. Garoppolo can manage the game, lean on the run game and the defense and get the Colts into the playoffs where anything can happen. He feels like the likeliest option, even with his $25 million cap hit along with the shoulder injury he’s rehabbing from.

Jordan Love

The last time the Colts and Love were connected, Ballard nearly moved up for the former Utah State star in the 2020 NFL Draft, which also happened to be a year in which Ballard and the Colts didn’t have a first-round draft pick.

Love remains mostly unproven, having appeared in just six games in two seasons, including one start in 2021 in which he lost on the road to the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the Green Bay Packers having locked up Aaron Rodgers to a long-term deal, Love could be expendable, though ESPN’s Adam Schefter doesn’t expect the Packers to shop the third-year quarterback. All it takes is a strong offer though, one the Colts could potentially make to snag Love out of Green Bay.

He wouldn’t be a franchise savior right away, but could buy Reich and Ballard more time overall.

Marcus Mariota

The Colts reportedly wanted to trade for Mariota last offseason before making a move for Wentz. Now, Mariota can be had as a free agent, which should have the Colts enticed once again.

Mariota brings a dual-threat element to Reich’s system, which could really make things fun in a run-heavy approach with Taylor in the backfield. Add in his development as a passer late in his career and he makes a ton of sense as an affordable option that the Colts obviously like and could get without dealing future picks for, like a Garoppolo or Love.

Possible, but unlikely

Kirk cousins

Cousins’ name continues to be kicked around with the Colts following the trade of Wentz, but here’s the kicker: Cousins ​​carries a $45 million cap hit that is fully guaranteed for the 2022 NFL season.

Sure, it would be a one-year rental type of move since he’s a free agent ahead of the 2023 season, but why would the Colts deal potential draft assets for a pending free agent and pay him that type of money for one season?

Cousins ​​is a safer version of Wentz, but he’s not going to elevate a team around him. That’s not what the Colts should be aiming for in this next search.

James Winston

Winston, much like Mariota, can be had in free agency, which could entice the Colts, who happen to have $71 million in cap space following the Wentz trade.

Coming off of a torn ACL that could sideline him up until training camp, Winston put together a solid first half of the season in New Orleans under former head coach Sean Payton, taking care of the football in leading the Saints to a 5-2 record before tearing his ACL against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While he had a strong first half of the season, Winston still has some of those gunslinger tendencies that can kill a team, which isn’t what the Colts need right now. He certainly has all the talent in the world, but the Colts should be looking for a safer option at the position, one that won’t lose them games. It’s hard to trust Winston to be that guy just yet.

Absolute home runs, but a long shot

Derek Carr

In an ideal world, after losing out on the likes of Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers in the trade market, Ballard and the Colts swing for the fences and land Derek Carr, who is right in the prime of his career and playing some of the best football of his life.

It looks like the Las Vegas Raiders will be locking Carr up long-term though, making a potential acquisition of the standout quarterback a major long shot for the Colts, especially considering the draft capital it would cost Indianapolis to make such a move.

Carr would immediately step into the fold at Indianapolis and return the Colts to a contending status. He would also be in line for a major extension, which he’d undoubtedly deserve, coming off of a stretch of football in which he’s graded at a 73.2 or higher in each of the last four seasons by Pro Football Focus.

At just 31 years of age, Carr could settle the quarterback position for the next 5-6 years in Indianapolis, at minimum. At this point though, it feels like a pipe dream.

Have thoughts on the potential options the Colts find themselves facing at the quarterback position now that Carson Wentz has been traded? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!

Follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshCarney.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter other Facebook.

The post From Wentz They Got here: Figuring out QB Choices For Colts Transferring Ahead appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

We are entering the penultimate week of the regular NFL football season. There are no Thursday or Saturday games this week so we’ll have to wait until Sunday to get our NFL fix. The league took a giant step on Tuesday by reducing the isolation time required after a positive test result to five days. This news has shifted which players might be available this weekend and therefore had an impact on the betting market. Which games that kick in in week 17 have there been significant line movement?

Yesterday we were informed that Carson Wentz had entered COVID logs. As an unvaccinated player, we all assumed that he would be out for at least 10 days and that he would certainly be out for the game this weekend against the Raiders. The betting market reacted.

Indianapolis opened as a 7.5-point favorite over the Raiders, and following news of Wentz’s test positive, the line dropped significantly. The Colts were only 1.5 point favorites on Tuesday afternoon.

However, shortly after the Wentz News was released, the league changed their protocols, opening up the possibility for Wentz to play should he be asymptomatic.

Given the market reaction, it seems likely that Wentz will play. The Colts are now 6.5 point favorites over the Raiders on Sunday. One might assume that the downgrade of one point from the original number is because we’re not sure if Wentz will play. However, the line movement makes it feel pretty safe.

Trey Lance season?

The San Francisco 49ers opened as hefty 15.5-point favorites ahead of the Houston Texans. I suspect the quota makers didn’t take much of the picture from Houston’s angry win over the Chargers last week.

However, the 49ers announced that Jimmy Garoppolo has a thumb injury and it appears his season is in jeopardy. The team hands over control to third rookie Trey Lance.

Trey Lance will quarterback the San Francisco 49ers, making for significant line movement. (Abbie Parr / Getty Images)

While the online community loves kidding on Garoppolo and is in love with Lance’s potential, the betting market doesn’t seem entirely to agree. They downgraded the 49ers by three points based on news of a Garoppolo move to Lance.

The story goes on

Currently, the 49ers are only 12.5-point favorites over the Texans. While the 49ers should be fine with Lance in this game, it is certainly a situation worth watching as this team appears poised to make the playoffs.

Kansas City again in favor of the weather

Back to last season and for the first half of this season, hiding the Kansas City Chiefs against the spread was basically free money. The team was elitist, but overrated by the betting market. In the first nine games of this season, they only covered the range twice.

Then the general public began to doubt the Chiefs, and the betting market reacted and stopped inflating their spreads massively. Now that the Chiefs look like they’ve hit their groove on either side of the ball, they’re back to covering the number.

The Chiefs are currently the 5.5-point favorite on the road via the Cincinnati Bengals. The line opened when the Chiefs only put four points, but it seems like the bettors will believe in the Chiefs again, causing that line to skyrocket. Kansas City was set to bring back Travis Kelce in this matchup after missing last week’s game due to COVID logs.

Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens fans are sure to get excited for the Chiefs on Sunday as a surprising Bengals win would bring AFC North to Cincinnati.

Observe the key number

Not every line movement is the same. In the NFL, scores often fall on the key margin of wins like 3, 7, and 14. Movements around these numbers are often more influential than larger moves around non-key numbers. We saw five games on the schedule this week fluctuate around a key number:

The post 49ers and Colts QBs shifting market in Week 17 appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

the Indianapolis Colts (2-4) face San Francisco 49ers (2-3) on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium for Week 7 of the NFL. The 49ers started the week as a 4.0 point favorite, but the spread has increased to 4.5 since then. The total dotted line is set to 44.0.

• The Colts have a 4-2-0 ATS record this season while the 49ers hold a 1-4-0 record.
• The Colts have a 3-3-0 O / U record this season (meaning three games exceeded total points and three went under). The 49ers have a 2-3-0 O / U record.

Points on the blackboard

• The Colts averaged 23.2 points per game this season (19th in the league). In comparison, the 49ers averaged 23.4 (17th).
• Defensively, the Colts forego 21.8 points per game (11th in the league) this season, while the 49ers give up an average of 23.8 points (15th).

Move chains

• With an average of 367.5, the Colts rank 15th in the league for total yards per game. In comparison, the 49ers ranked 14th with 368.2 yards per game.
• In terms of yards allowed, the Colts are giving up 366.5 per game (20th in the league) this season, outnumbered the 49ers, who give up an average of 329.8 (6th).

Rise in the air?

• The Colts have recorded 243.3 pass yards per game this season (16th in the league). By comparison, the 49ers’ defense gave up 216.6 pass yards per game (7th).
• Meanwhile, the 49ers have posted 246.2 yards per game this season (14th in the league) while the Colts defenses have given up 255.5 yards per game (20th).

Advantage on site?

• Looking at the ground game, the Colts have recorded 124.2 yards per game this season (11th in the league). The 49ers rank slightly worse in defense of the run, ranking 18th, while allowing 113.2 per game.
• On the flip side, the 49ers have recorded 122.0 rushing yards per game (# 12 in the league) this season. The Colts performed on a similar level in defending the run, conceding 111.0 per game (14th).

Protect ball

• Looking at their ability to force sales, the Colts have posted a total of 12 takeaways this season (4th in the league) while the 49ers have posted 2 (T31.)
• On the offensive, the Colts have recorded a total of 5 giveaways (T3 in the league) this season, surpassing the 49ers’ number of 7 (T14.).

First goalscorer

The Colts are +115 to score first while the 49ers are -145.

• The Colts have scored the first goal in three of their six games this season.
• The 49ers have scored the first goal in two of their five games this season.

Which team will score the first touchdown?

• The Colts have scored the first touchdown in three of their six games this season.
• The 49ers have scored the first touchdown in three of their five games.

First scoring game

• Indianapolis Touchdown 2/6 +320
• Indianapolis Field Goal 1/6 +330
• Indianapolis Security 0/6 +5000
• San Francisco Touchdown 2/5 +175
• San Francisco Field Goal 0/5 +300
• San Francisco Security 0/5 +5500

Which team has a quick start?

The Colts are +150 and the first team to score 10 points while the 49ers are -177.

• The Colts were the first to score 10 points in three of their six games that season.
• The 49ers were the first to score 10 points in two of their five games this season.

Money line for the first quarter

• The 49ers are preferred in the Q1 moneyline market, currently at -159, while the Colts are at +140.
• The Colts have a 2-4-0 W / L / T record in the first quarter this season, while the 49ers hold a 2-3-0 record.

The last time they met

The Colts posted a 26-23 overtime win over the 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium the last time these teams clashed in Week 5, 2017.

The post Indianapolis Colts at San Francisco 49ers Week 7 betting preview appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.