Predicting the Final Score of Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts
By Julie Swartz
@julieswartz86
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The postseason is officially here, and the Cincinnati Bengals, yet again, find themselves in a position to try and win their first playoff game since 1990. Last week they came up short of the AFC North title, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17. They are now the No. 5 seed in the AFC and will go on the road to take on the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card round this Sunday afternoon.
The last time these teams met was this season in Indy where the Bengals were shut out 27-0. This was quite possibly one of the worst offensive performances of the year. Andy Dalton and company will need to make some big improvements this time around if they expect to break their playoff drought.
The Bengals’ defense will have their hands full this weekend, as they face Andrew Luck and the No. 3 offense in the NFL. Luck has had a monstrous year, leading the league with 305.9 passing yards per game. The Bengals will have to find a way to apply pressure to Luck, an area they have struggled in, with a league-low 20 sacks this season. If they expect to slow Luck down, they will need to put a rush on him and force some mistakes in this game.
A huge key to this game for the Bengals will be the performance of rookie Jeremy Hill and the running game. The Colts give up an average of 113.4 rushing yards per game, and Hill has been running the ball efficiently lately. And let’s not count out Giovani Bernard, who has provided a great balance to Hill as well.
As long as Dalton can take care of the football and limit his mistakes, this offensive combination should be just fine on Sunday. This is the season the Bengals will finally win a playoff game.
My Prediction: Bengals 30, Colts 24
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