Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Preview (10/18/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

This week six matchup is between the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Both of these teams are coming off of a loss last week in week five. The Colts lost to the Cleveland Browns in an offensively oppressed game against the Cleveland Browns. The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a similar but worse offensive outing against one of the top-rated NFL defenses in the Baltimore Ravens. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, October 18th, 2020
Time: 1:05 ET
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, Indiana
TV Coverage: FOX

Colts vs. Bengals Live Stream

Where can you watch Colts vs. Bengals online? You can stream this game and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Colts vs. Bengals Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Castonzo (questionable, ribs), Darius Leonard (questionable, groin)
Cincinnati Bengals: Mackensie Alexander (questionable, ribs), John Ross (questionable, illness), A.J. Green (questionable, hamstring), Sam Hubbard (questionable, elbow)

Indianapolis Colts Analysis

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off of an error-riddled loss against the Cleveland Browns to make their record 3-2, which is currently ranked second in the AFC South. The Colts had a terrible offensive effort last week against the Cleveland Browns, who kept them to 23 points for the whole game while putting up 32 of their own against the top-rated defense in the NFL. The Colts will need to win next week to stay competitive for the first place spot in the AFC South, which is currently held by the Tennessee Titans.

The Colts total offense has been slightly disappointing this season considering they have a lot of support behind their offensive line and some highly developed skill players. Their offense is only putting up 25.2 points per game, but their defense has been gifting them with a +7.6 scoring margin this season. Sadly, that is not keeping them from being one of the worst red-zone offenses in the league with a 42.11% red zone scoring touchdown percentage this season and only 1.6 offensive touchdowns per game. The Bengals are not the most giving defense in the league, so it could be another task for the defense to keep their offense on the field.

The Colts’ offense certainly takes advantage of their astounding offensive line by running the ball as a team one of the most in the league at 47.76% per game. However, behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, they are in the bottom 16 teams in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns per game. The Bengals’ weakness on defense this season has been their rushing defense, so the Colts will need to take advantage of that next week to pull off a comeback win.

Passing wise, it’s mostly the same deal as the run because they are a low volume passing offense behind Phillip Rivers. While Rivers has a top 10 completion percentage at 70.25%, he also has thrown the tied-4th most interceptions this season at five total. Two of which were extremely costly last game against the Cleveland Browns; one of them was taken back for a touchdown, and the other came in the fourth quarter. Their passing offense has only produced 0.8 passing touchdowns and 244 yards per game this season. Next week, Philip Rivers will have his hands full against an above-average passing defense against the Bengals.

There is a lot to be said about the Colts defense this season. In short, they are arguably the best defense in the NFL. The defense has allowed the second least points per game (17.6) and the second least touchdowns (1.8) per game against their opponents. They lead the league in the least allowed amount of yards, opponent plays, and first downs. They are an overall great defense and will need to use it against an offensively weak Cincinnati Bengals offense next week.

Overall, the Colts have been heavily relying on their defense to get by in games. For the future, it may not last for them without some sort of offense. However, next week the Bengals will certainly have trouble scoring on offense against this dangerous defense. But, Philip Rivers needs to step up his game for this team to put points on the board.

Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart

QB: Philip Rivers
RB1: Marlon Mack
RB2: Jonathan Taylor
WR1: T.Y. Hilton
WR2: Michael Pittman Jr.
WR3: Parris Campbell
TE: Jack Doyle

Cincinnati Bengals Analysis

The Cincinnati Bengals rank last in a competitive AFC North conference where three teams have four wins already through five weeks. Their 1-3-1 record is appropriate for a team that is still trying to find themselves offensively and have faced some tough teams thus far in the season. Their tough schedule will not stop next week against the top-rated defense in the league against the Indianapolis Colts in their fourth road game this season.

The Bengals offense is one of the least producing offenses so far in the season with an average of 20.4 points per game while only producing 1.8 offensive touchdowns per game. Furthermore, they are one of the worst touchdown red zone offenses in the league with a 35.71% conversion rate this season. Last week, they only put up 3 points in the fourth quarter against an extremely difficult Baltimore Ravens defense. Now, they will go against another top NFL defense next week against the Indianapolis Colts.

Joe Burrow has been leading this offense as the most recent first overall draft pick out of LSU. The Bengals certainly pass the ball as a team one of the most in the league with a pass play percentage of 63.43% on offense. However, they do not produce a lot from those attempts with only 1.2 passing touchdowns per game. In defense of Burrow, he now leads the league in sacks with 22 on the season, which averages a depressing 4.4 per game.

The Bengal defense has not been horrendous this season as many may have assumed coming into the season. While they do let up 25.2 points per game, they are top 10 in the league with offensive touchdowns allowed. They do struggle against the run on defense, allowing a scary 159 rushing yards per game and on average one rushing touchdown per game. However, they are statistically in the top ten for least allowed of passing yards, completion percentage, and passing touchdowns this season.

The Bengals are already looking to be eliminated from the playoffs early on with a 1-3-1 record and essentially having little to no chance of winning their division. Their offensive line has really struggled for them this season and so has their defense. They will have a really tough outing next week against the Colts, who have one of the best defenses in the league.

Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

QB: Joe Burrow
RB1: Joe Mixon
RB2: Giovani Bernard
WR1: A.J. Green
WR2: Tyler Boyd
WR3: Tee Higgins
TE: C.J. Uzomah

Betting Corner Colts -7.5

Spread: +/- 7.5
Moneyline: Colts -400, Bengals +310
Over/Under: 45.5

Prediction:

Spread: Colts -7.5
Moneyline: Colts
Over/Under: u45.5

The Bengals and the Colts have both have covered three of the five spreads they have been given this season. The Bengals have only covered their spread against below-average teams, and while I think the Colts are quite a vulnerable team, I do not think they will lose this one. After seeing the Bengals put up 3 points against the Ravens’ defense, it can be said that the Colts will most likely allow a similar amount of points next week. I think the Colts spread and money line will be the correct bets for this game.

Both of these teams are not heavily scoring offenses typically which pushes me for the under for this game. The Colts’ defense is phenomenal, but their offense likes to make mistakes. The under should be an unpopular success for the NFL in week six.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

Tee Higgins is ranked 18th in the past two weeks amongst wide receivers, averaging 14.3 points in the last three weeks. Even though Indianapolis has a very tough defense, he should not receive a ton of attention with Tyler Boyd lining up alongside him as well. He should be considered a WR3 with WR2 potential.

Jonathan Taylor is a player I continuously talk about the week in and week out. But, his owners need to appreciate his value and see a large opportunity for him next week against an atrocious rushing defense and a struggling pass offense. Nonetheless, the Bengals will provide a challenge in the passing game for the Colts as well, giving Taylor more opportunity. He is an RB1 next week for fantasy football.

Hate

Joe Burrow and Philip Rivers are not above average quarterbacks in the league. However, they have been commonly started in fantasy leagues for those that are desperate for a quarterback to stream. However, both of these quarterbacks play on solid passing defenses and I expect them to run the ball a decent amount and make mistakes throwing the ball. Both of these quarterbacks should not be starters next week.