In-depth Analysis and Pick for Sunday’s Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts Match
On a brief week, the Bengals are gearing up for a big game when the Indianapolis Colts visit town on Sunday.
Both groups are still vying to make the playoffs. For Cincinnati to have a chance to qualify for the postseason for a third consecutive year, they must defeat the 7-5 Colts.
Like the Bengals, Indianapolis has experienced some hardships this year. This includes Anthony Richardson, the team’s standout rookie quarterback, missing the entire season because of a shoulder injury.
Center Ryan Kelly of the Colts, a native of Cincinnati, told All Bengals that hardship is inevitable. “The truth of the business is that there is never a perfect season when everyone is well.”
The Colts defeated the Titans last week, finishing with a sweeping of them behind center Gardner Minshew. Since 2018, they had not swept Tennessee before.
Minshew finished with a 100.5 rating after throwing for 2 touchdowns and 312 yards.
The Bengals are no strangers to the reality of having important players suffer injuries. They lost starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt for at least three more games due to an ankle injury, and quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a wrist injury that ended his season.
By the end of the season, the Bengals want to have Taylor-Britt back. On Monday night, they had trouble stopping the pass and gave up their second-highest point total of the year (31 points). In addition, Cincinnati’s defense allowed two touchdowns and 258 passing yards.
Against a Colts receiving group that featured two receivers with 100 yards last week in Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, that formula won’t work. And both of them scored touchdowns.
Cincinnati had two big problems heading into Week 13, and they both had their roots in the ground. The Bengals were having trouble both stopping the ball in midfield and running it effectively on offense.
In preparation for their victory over the Jaguars on Monday night, the coaching staff made some obvious changes. After Week 12 Cincinnati’s run defense gave up 4.6 yards per rush to Pittsburgh, Lou Anarumo and Marion Hobby worked to improve the unit.
Holding the Jaguars to 2.8 yards per rush, Cincinnati came back.
The rushing attack of the Bengals also saw a major improvement. Justin Hill, Frank Pollack, and Brian Callahan should get praise for leading the offense, which finished with 156 rushing yards on 31 attempts.
In comparison to the previous week, Joe Mixon’s touches more than doubled, and Chase Brown received his fair share of carries, accumulating 61 yards on nine attempts.
Although the changes and advancements are apparent, can they really be sustained in practice? To give Jake Browning a chance to thrive, they must have a potent run game. If they want to defeat the Colts on Sunday, they will need to do that.
With 354 passing yards, one touchdown, and a 115.5 quarterback rating, Browning completed 32 of 37 passes. AFC Player of the Week went to him.
Burrow, whose arm was in a sling and who supported the team from the sidelines, was obviously giving him advice.
Ja’Marr Chase, who finished with 11 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown on 12 targets, led the passing attack.
“We have faith that he will continue to execute well,” Ja’Marr Chase stated on Thursday. “Maintain your steadiness. The most important thing is that we must continue. As I stated at the start of the season, our goal is to reach our destination with consistency.”
This week, Cincinnati will play a passing defense that is ranked higher. The Colts rank 17th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game with 222.1.
Despite having a 3-4 record at the beginning of the season, Shane Steichen’s team has shown that they are a hardworking, blue-collar team that will stop at nothing to win. They have won four games in a row.
After going on a three-game losing streak and losing their franchise quarterback, Cincinnati is just now beginning to gather itself. A victory over the Colts would greatly increase the Bengals’ chances of making the playoffs.
Cincinnati will have a strong chance to defeat Indianapolis on Sunday if their offense can continue to be as dynamic and all-around as it was on Monday night.
