The Cincinnati Bengals came up short in their attempt to record their fourth victory of the season after settling for a tie with the Carolina Panthers Sunday. Nevertheless, the Bengals still own the top spot in the AFC North with a 3-1-1 record. However, the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns are knocking on the Bengals’ door with wins in Week 6, and a win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday would make the Bengals remain on top of their division.
Can Cincinnati stave off Andrew Luck and the rest of the Colts? Or will Indianapolis notch its fifth-straight victory at the expense of the Bengals? Find out more abut this matchup below and don’t forget to see our Week 7 NFL picks and predictions.
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Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts Betting Preview and Prediction
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Bengals weren’t thinking of a tied ballgame when they said they’re going to bounce back from a tough loss at Foxborough in Week 5, but that’s what happened when Cincinnati failed to put the clamps on Cam Newton and the rest of the Carolina Panthers Sunday. That game ended in a deadlock, 37-37, after kicker Mike Nugent field-goal attempt went wide right, extending the search of the Bengals for their fourth win for at least another week.
Up next for Cincinnati is a showdown with the visiting Colts, whom the Bengals have defeated in their last two meetings, the last being their 42-28 win in Week 14 of last season as 7.5-point home faves. In addition, the Bengals are also 3-0 ATS in their last three games against Indianapolis.
A.J. Green (foot) did not play against Carolina, but offensive coordinator Hue Jackson simply had a ton of tricks in his bag to mitigate the absence of the Bengals’ leading receiver.
Through Jackson’s creativity, the Bengals were able to have six different players who each had at least four catches and 38 receiving yards. Leading the receiving corps was Mohamed Sanu, who caught 10 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. Overall, quarterback Andy Dalton was able to throw for 323 yards and two TDs with two interceptions. Green is still not sure he’ll be able to play against Indianapolis, so expect the Bengals to have the same diverse approach in their passing game.
The game versus the Panthers likely would have gone Cincinnati’s way had the Bengals prevented themselves from accumulating so many infractions. Discipline seems to be a growing problem in the Bengals, and this has to be addressed ahead of their game against the Colts. The Bengals were charged with 13 penalties for 119 yards against Carolina. They are averaging 46.8 penalty yards per game on an average of 5.5 penalties.
With Jim Irsay’s suspension finally lifted, the Colts would like to welcome their owner back with a home win next Sunday. The Colts have won eight of their last 10 home games, and is sporting an identical 8-2 record against the spread in those contests.
The Colts are coming off a gripping 33-28 victory over the Houston Texans last Thursday, wherein Andrew Luck continued to strengthen his case to be among the game’s elite QBs. Luck passed for 370 yards and three TDs to improve his league-leading stats to 331.2 passing yards per game and 17 touchdowns.
Luck will be a man to watch again next week, as the Colts face Cincinnati’s leaky defense that just gave up 431 total yards to the Panthers in Week 6. If the Colts are to shred Cincinnati’s defense, then Luck will need T.Y. Hilton to stay on top of his game. Hilton ran circles around Houston’s defense last week, rushing for a career-high 223 yards receiving with a touchdown. He is now fourth in the NFL with an average of 100.7 receiving yards per game.
On defense, the Colts will have to do better against the rush. With Cincinnati’s dynamic duo of Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard set to arrive at their turf next Sunday, the Colts have a week to fix what they did wrong in Week 6, when Texans running back Arian Foster dismantled their defense, rushing for 109 yards and two TDs on 20 carries.
Writer’s Prediction
Cincinnati stops the Colts on their tracks, as Giovani Bernard and Mohamed Sanu lead the Bengals ground and air attack.
