Eleven National Football League games are on today’s preseason schedule. Three of them offer what we are looking for in a summer football wager.

Five of today’s contests have a 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time start, including one of the games we recommend for a preseason wager. That is the contest between the Indianapolis Colts and visiting Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are one of those teams that expect to be in the hunt come playoff time. Last year, they were one of three teams to advance to the postseason out of the talented NFC North Division. They have what they hope will develop into a franchise quarterback that can win it all in Jordan Love.

The jury is out.

The Packers won the first two Super Bowls and dominated the NFL in the 1960’s with a QB now in the Hall of Fame but not necessarily a signal caller blessed with the greatest athletic skills in Bart Starr. With Vince Lombardi his coach, Starr ran the most efficient offense in the league and piled up championship on championship.

More recently, the proud tradition in Green Bay was run from the quarterback position by a pair of men that had all the skills to earn a bust in Canton. Brett Favre directed the Packers offense with a flair and strong arm approach that got the Packers consistently in the win column, including a victory in Super Bowl XXXI.

His successor, Aaron Rodgers, is struggling in recent seasons to recapture his form while playing for the New York Jets and this season the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, in his prime, Rodgers was as good as it got from the quarterback slot. He also added a Super Bowl Trophy to the Packers collection, downing Ben Roethlisberger and his Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV to complete the 2010 season.

Will Love continue the Packers quarterback run with the same effectiveness as Favre and Rodgers?

Pretty high bar to clear, and while he has had some flashes that offer hope, he has not led Green Bay deep into the hunt for another Super Bowl in his five pro seasons. Today, he is sidelined after undergoing surgery on his left thumb and didn’t make the trip to Indianapolis.

While the Packers quarterback job is clear and not in question, the Colts are staging one of the true quarterback competitions this summer. Anthony Richardson, who was a favorite of the late Jim Irsay, was drafted in the first round by the Colts to play quarterback despite little college preparation. He has big time skills but lacks the experience on how to best manage a team on the field.

Now in his third season, if Richardson adds experience to his skillset, he could be special. In the meantime, the Colts have brought in one-time New York Giants starter Daniel Jones as either their new starter or Richardson’s backup.

See, we don’t know, and neither reportedly does Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen. That’s what makes this a real quarterback competition, and while the Packers are simply preparing for the regular season and holding today’s game as a practice, the homesteading Colts will likely have a more inspired effort, and this offers a huge edge in favor of Indianapolis.

The books know it, that’s why we are forced to lay a gaudy number on the line. The Colts opened as a 4½ point favorite and that line is currently up to six. It may go higher, but it is worth noting that it may go higher while three-fourths of the public wagers are backing the Packers.

The Colts are one of three rated games today, and they are all now posted on this site.

Qoxhi Picks: Indianapolis Colts (-6) over Green Bay Packers