Colts Bengals Betting – Bengals Look To Take Advantage Of Winless Colts This Sunday
There may not be a better week six matchup that illustrates just how difficult it is to project how things will play out in the NFL than when the winless Indianapolis Colts make the trip to Paul Brown Stadium this week to take on the surging Cincinnati Bengals. Led by rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, the Bengals have won consecutive games to move one-half game back of the Baltimore Ravens for the top spot in the AFC South, while the Colts continue to struggle in search of their first sports betting win as franchise quarterback Peyton Manning watches from the sidelines.
Indianapolis Colts @ Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday October 16, 2011 – 1:00 PM ET
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
NFL Betting Lines: Cincinnati Bengals – 7
Both of these teams lost Pro Bowl quarterbacks before the year began for different reasons, but while Cincinnati has managed to persevere with a relatively mediocre schedule, Indianapolis has not been able to put it all together. The Colts have lost four straight by a single score, and now embark on a season-high three-game road trip still without their first win.
NFL Betting Preview: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts registered the first 17 points last week in an eventual loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, failing to score in the second half despite some impressive performances in the first two quarters. Quarterback Curtis Painter is finally starting to show some signs that he can perform in this league, and while he pales in comparison to the man that has been under center for Indianapolis for the past decade, he did throw for 277 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over against the Chiefs. The problem for the Colts was the failure to pound the rock on the ground, as they averaged just 2.9 rushing yards per attempt, and while they didn’t turn the ball over once, the Indianapolis defense didn’t create any turnovers either.
NFL Betting Preview: Cincinnati Bengals
Similar to what the Chiefs were able to do on defense, the Bengals will stack the box and force Painter and the Indianapolis offense to go over the top to beat them. Cincinnati held Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back Maurice Jones-Drew to 85 yards rushing, and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert couldn’t do enough to make them pay. Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton has shown improvement in every passing week, and although he is still somewhat raw, he is not a liability in regards to the team’s ability to win games. Running back Cedric Benson has surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark just once in five contests this season, and could be overdue for a breakout game.
NFL Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick
After putting forward some impressive efforts in each of the past couple of weeks, the Colts have to be feeling somewhat deflated after failing to earn a victory, and now head on the road for three straight games against teams with winning records. Despite a rocky offseason, the Bengals are on track to contend for a playoff spot in the AFC, but in order for them to have any hope at getting in to the sports betting bonus postseason they need to take the games that they are expected to win.
NFL Betting Pick: Cincinnati Bengals
