St. Louis Rams at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5, 34)Most eyes will be on Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, the top overall pick in April’s draft. The Stanford standout is expected to be given 20 to 25 plays in the preseason opener, according to offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.
Luck replaces Peyton Manning in Indianapolis and his preseason NFL debut is the main reason NFL Network has decided to televise the game nationally.
The Rams went 4-0 in the preseason last year before a 2-14 regular season. New head coach Jeff Fisher takes the warm-up games seriously, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“What you want to do through the preseason is not give up a lot of points, keep the penalties down – keep them way down – protect the football, block and tackle and execute and let the score take care of itself,” Fisher said earlier this week.
He also announced that many of his starters, including running back Steven Jackson and quarterback Sam Bradford, will only partake in “12 to 20 plays” on Sunday.