Any good team needs a solid collection of talent to win on a regular basis, although some have found a way to get by with just one or two stand out players in the line-up. Two teams that have shown that to be true this season are the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts. Sure, their fans will argue that they have a decent talent pool on each squad, but if you take either A.J. Green or Andrew Luck out of the line-up, the result would be disastrous for any of them. Both squads square off this Sunday afternoon, so here are the NFL lines, game overview and prediction for this match.
Sunday, October 19, 1:00 PM on CBS, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Despite being praised as one of the best teams this season, the Bengals have been showing signs of struggle after starting the season at 3-0. Cincinnati was considered to be a prohibitive favorite to represent the AFC when the season started, and they certainly came out of the gate looking that way. Then came the toe injury to A.J. Green, at which point the Bengals didn’t look quite so unbeatable. They followed three straight wins with a blowout loss to the Patriots and a tie last week against the Carolina Panthers. Green is listed as doubtful for this weekend, but even if he does play, you have to wonder how effective he will be. The Colts are a team that goes as well as their QB does, which seems to be a role that Andrew Luck has taken a shine to. After all, what QB in this league does not want to be considered the man? It was a rocky start for the Colts, losing their first two games of the season, but they have rattled off 4 straight wins, putting up big numbers and looking very impressive in the process. The most impressive of all are the numbers Andy Luck is putting up, as he has crossed the 300-yard passing threshold in all but one game this season, and has actually come within a completion or two of 400 in a pair of games.