Photo Credit: Chris Asbrock (Impact Sports)
by Chris Asbrock
Indianapolis Colts (0-0) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (0-0)
Lucas Oil Stadium
Sunday, 9/9/2018
1:00 P.M. EST
CBS
Line: IND -2.5 O/U: 48
This season is huge for both teams and a win to start off the season is crucial. The Bengals travel up Interstate 74 to face the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams look to be on different sides of the spectrum. The Bengals are one of the most talented teams in the league while the Colts are looking for a lot of answers. These two teams faced each other last week to wrap up the preseason, with the Colts knocking off the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. With that being the fourth preseason game, that was the battle of the backups. Let’s take a look at the breakdown between these two teams heading into their season opening matchup.
Even with Andrew Luck on the other sideline, the Bengals clearly have the advantage on offense. Luck hasn’t played since the 2016 season. Missing an entire season is one thing, missing an entire season because of an arm injury, that’s another. Luck only played 11 series during this preseason, so nobody is really sure how he look this year. One the flip side, national expectations are low for the Bengals but they come into this season with one of the most talented offenses in the league. Dalton might have the best collection of talent around him that he has ever had. AJ Green, Joe Mixon and Tyler Eifert are a few of the main pieces in this offense. With the weapons at Dalton’s disposal, there is no reason the Bengals offense couldn’t be one of the most prolific units in the league. This game you can expect Dalton and the Bengals to have a relatively easy day. On the other side, the Colts will struggle. Even though Luck will be under center, his offensive line is depleted and they aren’t sure of who will be starting at running back. There is a good change that Luck will be under pressure a lot during this game and will struggle to get anything going.
Advantage: Bengals
Defense
The Bengals defense is one of the strongest in the NFL. New coordinator Teryl Austin has injected a new life into this defense. The Bengals front seven is no doubt one of, if not the best in the league. While the Bengals have three solid corners, the depth in the secondary is a bit of a concern. The Bengals moved on from safety George Iloka earlier this preseason and are tossing their support behind rookie Jesse Bates. Bates should be a massive upgrade over Iloka in covering the tight end and the fact he is a ball hawking safety. Over the last few weeks, both Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap signed massive extensions, locking their places here in the Queen City. Those two should feast on a weak Colts line and will be harassing Andrew Luck all day. This is not the ideal situation for Andrew Luck in playing his first full game in over a year. On the other side, the Colts defense isn’t very strong. The Bengals offensive line is still very questionable so the Colts could find some success in pressuring Andy Dalton. If the Colts can’t get pressure on Dalton, the Colts secondary could get torched by AJ Green, John Ross and Tyler Eifert. Adding the rushing attack from Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard to that equation, it won’t be a pretty game for the Colts defense.
Advantage: Bengals
Special Teams
This is the category where the Colts have the advantage in one aspect. The Colts have quite possibly the greatest kicker in NFL history, Adam Vinatieri. Vinatieri is hands down the best kicker in the game now so if this game comes down to a field goal, it is a no-brainer Vinatieri will make it. For the Bengals, Randy Bullock was solid all last season, only missing two field goals. While the Colts have the advantage at kicker, the Bengals have the clear advantage at punter. Kevin Huber is one of the best punters in the league, consistently blasting punts and pinning teams inside the 20. Huber has always been able to flip field position and with the Bengals defense, that will be crucial.
Coaching
There really isn’t much to say here. This is a matchup between the second longest tenured coach in the NFL and a first year coach. There was a lot of heat from fans in the decision to bring back Marvin Lewis. Lewis turned around this Bengals team when he took over in 2003 and has continued to put out competitive teams year in and year out. This season, Lewis has assembled a staff that is all his. Owner Mike Brown has always had a major voice in how the team and staff have been assembled. This season seems much different and it shows in the coaching staff. On the other sideline, you have Frank Reich who is in his first year of being a head coach. Along with Reich being new, so are his offensive and defensive coordinators. Reich will be calling the plays, much like the way he did last year as coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. The lack of experience will surely show throughout this game when things get tough.
Advantage: Bengals
This is a big game to start off the season for both teams. A win for both will give them momentum heading into next week. The Bengals have a quick turnaround as they host the Ravens on Thursday night. A loss heading into the short week is something that Marvin Lewis and the Bengals cannot afford. The Bengals were picked to only win four games this season by Sports Illustrated and the Colts are actually favored in this game. The Bengals will surpass these expectations and will breeze through this game and set up a primetime matchup against the Ravens on Thursday night.
Prediction: Bengals 24-7
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