The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals face off on Sunday in an NFL showdown at Paul Brown Stadium. Let’s look at the betting matchup and give a free Colts vs Bengals prediction.
Colts Look for Fifth Straight Win
Don’t look now but the Colts have won four straight games and they have put themselves in a good spot to compete for a playoff spot. In the last game against the Tennessee Titans, it took overtime, but the Colts were able to secure the three point victory. Gardner Minshew had a strong game completing 26 of his 42 passes for 312 yards. Two touchdowns, and one interception. The Colts on the season are averaging 25 points while their defense is giving up 24.7 points per game. Jonathan Taylor is still out but Zack Moss has done a good of filling in for him.
Colts Betting Trends
- The Colts have won six of their last eight games as road underdogs following a Division game.
- The Colts have covered the spread in each of their last four games.
- The favorites have won the first half in six of the Colts' last seven games.
- The Colts have scored the first touchdown in four of their last five games against the Bengals.
- The Colts have won the first quarter in four of their last five games as underdogs against AFC opponents.
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Jake Browning Leads Bengals to Big Win
Jake Browning led the Bengals to a big win in the last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Two games ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers the offense only managed 10 points and that offense wasn’t good enough. Against the Jaguars Jake Browning completed 32 of his 37 passes for 354 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. The Bengals on the season are averaging 20.5 points while their defense is giving up 22.8 points per game. The offense is ranked 20th in football and the offense is going to need to step up again here. If the defense struggles, this is going to be a long game.
Bengals Betting Trends
- The Bengals have won each of their last seven games in December.
- The Bengals have covered the spread in each of their last six December games against AFC opponents.
- The Bengals have won the first half in each of their last seven games as home favorites following a road win.
- The Bengals have scored the first touchdown in each of their last four Sunday games.
- The Bengals have won the first quarter in 13 of their last 19 games at Paycor Stadium against teams that held a winning record.
Shane’s Free Pick
Jake Browning was good in the last game, but I do expect he’s going to have some regression here. I do expect the Bengals offense is going to step up here though, and that is going to be the difference here as this game is going to end up being lower scoring. I don’t expect the Colts offense is going to find a whole success here and that is going to be the difference here as this game is going to stay under the total. Back the under to cash.