The Indianapolis Colts open the 2026 preseason on the road against the New England Patriots on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium, and the betting market has already done something worth a second look. This game opened with New England as a short home favorite. By game day, the spread had flipped, and the Colts sit as a 3-point road favorite. That kind of swing in a preseason opener almost always traces back to one question: who actually plays. Both projected starting quarterbacks are set to rest, so the edge belongs to whichever backup room does more with its snaps.
Last Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots — Time & How to Watch
| Where | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough MA |
| When | Thursday, August 13 – 7:30 PM ET |
| TV | WBZ-TV / Patriots Preseason Network (New England), FOX59 (Indianapolis), NFL+ (out of market) |
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots Betting Preview
This is the preseason opener for both clubs, so there is no 2026 form to lean on. It is the same early-August handicapping puzzle we sorted through in our Panthers vs. Cardinals preseason prediction. The tape that matters is training camp and the joint practices the two teams held earlier in the week. Indianapolis will hand the first half to Anthony Richardson, the former first-round pick now working behind Daniel Jones, with young quarterback Riley Leonard taking the second half. Richardson is set to play the entire first half. Jones will not play, and coach Shane Steichen said he does not want to take any chances with his starter in August. New England counters with Tommy DeVito, followed by rookie Behren Morton, while Drake Maye watches from the sideline.
With the headline names off the field, roster depth decides this one. Steichen indicated that a slew of Colts starters will sit, so treat the game as a battle of second- and third-team units. For the Patriots, the secondary is a question. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez was held out of joint practice amid a contract matter, and the back end leaned on reserve corners during the week. That matters against a Colts offense that gets a full half of Richardson, whose legs give a vanilla preseason defense more to account for than a pocket passer would.
The Patriots’ upside is based on familiarity and structure. This is Mike Vrabel’s group, and Vrabel has a long history of resting his top quarterback in preseason openers, so DeVito and Morton should be prepared to carry the load. Still, the talent gap at the game’s most important position — Richardson for a full half against DeVito and a rookie — is the single biggest lever on the board.
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | -3 (+105) | -145 | O 37 (-115) |
| Patriots | +3 (-125) | +125 | U 37 (-105) |
Odds accurate as of Thursday, August 13, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NFL Odds – Futures – Props
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Colts | 32% | 68% | Patriots |
See the latest NFL Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Colts vs. Patriots Prediction — Which Backup Offensive Attack Holds the Edge?
The line movement is the tell. New England opened as a 1.5-point home favorite. The market then pushed all the way to Indianapolis -3, a swing of more than a field goal, even though roughly 68 percent of spread tickets sit on the Patriots. When the public loads one side and the number moves the other way, that is reverse line movement, and it usually signals that sharper money disagrees with the crowd. Here that money is on the Colts. It is a pattern shared by many of the NFL teams that consistently beat the spread.
The participation news explains the move. Richardson for a full half is a real talent edge over DeVito and a seventh-round rookie, and he gets it against a New England secondary missing pieces. Getting a road favorite at plus money on the spread is unusual, and it reflects a book still working to balance the ticket count.
The case for the Patriots is legit, though. Preseason games often turn on third- and fourth-string play late, when variance is highest, and the coaching scripts have run out. Three points is a key number, and the hook to +3 with the home team is exactly the cushion that cashes on a backdoor score. This is a lower-confidence side by nature. In August, the total and the “who plays” edge carry more weight than the final margin does.
The Pick: Colts -3 (+105)
Colts vs. Patriots Prediction — Will Two Halves of Backups Reach the Number?
The total tells a quieter version of the same story. It opened at 38.5 and has been bid down to 37, a move that tracks with both staffs pulling their starters. Backup-driven preseason offenses stall in the red zone, settle for field goals, and burn clock. Two teams that just shared a practice field also know each other’s looks. The market drifting under supports that read.
The counter is Anthony Richardson. His rushing ability turns short fields into points in a way most preseason offenses cannot, and defenses tend to play soft, vanilla coverage that lets young quarterbacks complete underneath throws for reps. A special-teams or defensive score can also flip a low total in a hurry. The number is already low, so the edge is modest, but the direction of the move and the personnel point the same way.
The Pick: Under 37 (-105)
Final Thoughts and Bonus Angle
For bettors who would rather not lay a field goal in a game that can hinge on one late backup drive, the moneyline offers a cleaner route to the same opinion. Indianapolis is -145 to win outright, up from a near-even price at open. That number asks the Colts simply to win, which removes the three-point margin and the backdoor risk that comes with the spread. The trade-off is paying a favorite’s tax on a result that can swing on one special-teams play, so treat it as a smaller-stake add rather than the centerpiece.
The Bonus: Colts Moneyline (-145)
All three plays in one place: Colts -3 (+105) as the featured side, Under 37 (-105) as the total, and Colts on the moneyline (-145) as the bonus. Each leans the same direction — Indianapolis does more with the snaps that matter — so size them as a correlated card, not three independent bets.
NFL Colts vs. Patriots FAQ: Thursday August 13, 2026
What time does the Colts vs. Patriots game start?
The Colts and Patriots kick off at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It is the preseason opener for both teams, and team pregame coverage begins earlier in the evening.
What channel is the Colts vs. Patriots game on?
This preseason game is a regional broadcast rather than a national one. In New England it airs on the Patriots Preseason Television Network, with WBZ-TV in Boston as the flagship. In the Indianapolis market it airs on FOX59. Out-of-market viewers can stream it on NFL+.
Where are the Colts and Patriots playing?
The game is at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Patriots’ home venue, with Indianapolis visiting as the road team. The two clubs held joint practices during the week leading up to the preseason opener.
Who is starting at quarterback for the Colts and Patriots?
Anthony Richardson starts for Indianapolis and is set to play the entire first half, with Riley Leonard taking the second. Tommy DeVito starts for New England, followed by rookie Behren Morton. Projected starters Daniel Jones and Drake Maye are both resting and will not play.