Colts (7-5) at Bengals (6-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: CBS
Spread (BetMGM):
OTB at press time
Colts’ keys to victory: The Colts have won four in a row, with two of those wins featuring less than 200 passing yards from QB Gardner Minshew. Riding the ground game with RB Zack Moss against an up-and-down rush defense is a no-brainer. So, too, is feeling comfortable to send pressure at a backup QB to create interception chances for the likes of CB Kenny Moore to increase the unit’s count of 12. The Bengals offense that has been inconsistent at running and protecting.
Bengals’ keys to victory: Find quick hitters to WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The ground game has been poor, so emulating it with short passes and giving weapons big yards-aftercatch (YAC) chances is the only hope with QB Jake Browning under center. (Browning showed promise with a big passing game against the Jaguars in Week 13.) Defensively, stars like LB Logan Wilson will need to force the Colts into predictable looks with a backup quarterback. The unit coughed up more than 150 yards rushing in Week 12 but did better in Week 13.
Matchup to watch: Colts defensive line vs. Bengals offensive line: This one will be won and lost in the trenches, where the bigmoney Bengals offensive line has struggled with the run and the Colts have ranked among the top 5 with 42 sacks.
Who wins? The Colts are the better team and happen to excel in areas that have dragged the Bengals down. On the road or not, the Colts shouldn’t have any problems running the ball and shutting down the backup-led offense.
Colts, 24-14