Sunday, October 18, 2020, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1 p.m. ET
Bengals at Colts Betting Preview: Bengals (+8/-110), Colts (-8/-110)
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati (1-3-1) is coming off a lackluster performance that resulted in a 27-3 loss against the Baltimore Ravens. Joe Burrow was overmatched against a top defense, and he did not receive much help from his offensive line in the process. The rookie ended the day 19 of 30 for 183 yards and an interception while taking seven sacks.
Before last week’s dud, the Bengals scored at least 30 points in two of their previous three games, so they are capable of bouncing back. But it will not be easy against a Colts defense that is off to a great start this season. Burrow is in for yet another challenge this week.
Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis (3-2) is going to be angry when play kicks off this weekend. That is because the Colts are coming off an ugly 32-23 loss against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 — a game in which veteran quarterback Philip Rivers posted a measly 60.5 passer rating while throwing a pair of interceptions.
Colts coach Frank Reich is standing behind Rivers as his clear-cut No. 1 starter, and a home game against the Bengals offers the wily veteran a chance to put last week’s ugliness behind him. Indianapolis has the clear edge on defense, which could give Rivers and his teammates good field position throughout the contest.
Bengals at Colts Betting Pick for Week 6
Burrow is a sharp quarterback with a bright future in front of him, but it’s asking a lot to put him against the Ravens and Colts defenses in back-to-back weeks. Throw in the fact that Indianapolis needs a win to avoid falling back to .500, and this feels like a victory for the Colts.
The line opened at eight points, which could be steep given the Colts’ ineptitude against the Browns only one week ago. Cincinnati could keep the game close but ultimately the better team will prevail.
Bengals at Colts Betting Pick:
Colts 23, Bengals 17
Bengals at Colts Best Bet for Week 6
Rivers will want to be careful managing the offense after his two-pick performance last week, and Burrow knows that he needs to slow the game down to avoid another shellacking like he got against the Ravens.
Yes, the Colts gave up 32 points last week, but in the previous three games they averaged fewer than 10 points allowed per game. Look for a low-scoring affair this weekend.
Bengals at Colts Best Bet: UNDER 46.5 points (-110)
