NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will be back home to face the Indianapolis Colts in week 14 of the 2023 NFL Season. This is a must-win for the Bengals. Indianapolis has won four in a row and currently has the longest win streak in the AFC.
When: Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 1:00 pm E.T.
Where: Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
Network: CBS
Offense
Will Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning be able to repeat such a great performance? I wouldn’t count on it. What Browning did against the Jaguars in primetime is an extremely rare case that you get from a backup quarterback. Cincinnati needs to continue to repeat what they did in Jacksonville and that is running the football. Indianapolis does not have a top-run defense. There will be ample opportunities to move the ball on the ground. Establish the run early and stay committed to it. Let Chase Brown continue to get good-quality snaps as well.
Having a solid running game will also keep the Colts pass rush a bit more contained as well. Indianapolis is second in the league with 42 sacks as a team, sixth in quarterback hits, and a league-leading 10 strip sacks as well. The Colts are also tied for fifth in interceptions. They will try to rattle Browning all day long if the Bengals let them.
Indianapolis will be without linebacker E.J. Speed and cornerback JuJu Brents. The game plan and play calling need to be as easy as possible for Browning to succeed. Ja’Marr Chase needs to get a lot of targets of course. Don’t just force it to him though. The decision-making needs to be on point all around.
Defense
Indianapolis has scored at least 21 points in every game this season except one. This offense is versatile and will find ways to move the football and score. The Colts will once again be without running back Jonathan Taylor. Zack Moss will fill in for him. The Bengals defense should be grateful. Cincinnati held the Jaguars to 71 rushing yards on Monday night. They still need to wake up and stop the run again here though. Cincinnati has had one of the worst run defense on average this season.
Michael Pittman has been Gardner Minshew’s top target in recent weeks. He will no doubt be his favorite option in this game as well. Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt will be out again due to being placed on injured reserve. It will be up to rookie DJ Turner and Chide Awuzie to slow down Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Josh Downs. This is definitely an unfavorable matchup for the Bengals.
Cincinnati is going to have to put a lot of pressure on Minshew to keep the game under control. Trey Hendrickson will certainly show up as he has 11.5 sacks on the year. Sam Hubbard and the rest of the guys up front will need to create consistent pressure.
Prediction
Bengals win 24-21
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