It seems to be a yearly ritual that the Indianapolis Colts meet the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL preseason, and 2013 is no different. In fact, these two teams will meet at least twice this season, and could very well see each other in the Playoffs.
This Thursday, the Colts travel to Paul Brown stadium, to close out their preseason. Indianapolis will also see the Bengals in Cincinnati for a match-up in week 14 of the regular season. We may not see much of either team’s starters on Thursday, but we will still see two of the more interesting young teams in the NFL take the field together, once again.
The Bengals have an evolving offense, led by third-year quarterback Andy Dalton, and top-notch wide receiver A.J. Green. In this year’s NFL Draft, the Bengals did even more to pad their potent offense, by adding depth to their running game, and tight end position. The Bengals drafted running back Giovani Bernard to supplant BenJarvis Green-Ellis, and added former Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert, to play opposite of Jermaine Gresham. We may see more of the rookies and very little of the veteran on Thursday night, but the Colts will have their hands full either way.
The Bengals defense could be one of the best in the league this year. Playing in the AFC North is a tough task, and the Cincinnati coaching staff has loaded-up, to fight their way through their tough division. Vontaze Burfict and Ray Maualuga are already a deadly combo at the linebacker position, and the Bengals also added former Pittsburgh Steelers hitman, James Harrison in free agency.
The final game of the preseason is more of a showcase for players trying to avoid their team’s final cuts, but these two teams know that they will see each other again. Expect a high-impact, high energy contest between the Colts and Bengals, on Thursday night.