When this game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals was first seen on the schedule, all fans knew this was most likely going to be a loss to Joe Burrow and a Bengals preparing for a playoff run. But the season is extremely different now. The Colts are firmly in the playoff hunt at 7-5, as are the 6-6 Bengals, but with Joe Burrow out for the season with a wrist injury, backup Jake Browning is now the starter in Cincinnati.
While most pundits immediately ruled out the Bengals, they got a key win in Week 13 on Monday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which improved the Colts chances of winning the AFC South now. This seemingly automatic win now looks to be another key game for this Indy team to continue its march to a playoff spot. Lets discuss the key points of this game and how the Colts can get their fifth straight win.
3. Colts must contain Bengals star players
One of the remaining strengths of this Bengals football team is the depth that they have at the skill positions. Even with Burrow on the sideline, they have plenty of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. They are led a by a trio of receivers that starts with Ja’Marr Chase and then Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. On the ground Cincinnati is led by Joe Mixon.
The standout amongst these skill position players is undoubtedly Ja’Marr Chase. He currently has 86 receptions this season and is on pace to break is his own seasonal records. The Colts may be without standout rookie CB JuJu Brents again this week, so the task of covering Chase will be left to either rookie Jaylon Jones or Darrell Baker Jr. Both players have struggled against team’s top receivers. This week will be no different and how they gameplan against these skill position players could be the tipping point of this ball game.