The Cincinnati Bengals hope to get back in the winning column during the team’s Week 6 game against the 3-2 Indianapolis Colts.
Easier said than done though, as the 1-3-1 Bengals hit the road again after a 27-3 loss to Baltimore and once again have to deal with the injury bug. The heart of the defense won’t have D.J. Reader (now on injured reserve) and the pass-rush won’t have Sam Hubbard.
Defense was quietly a strong point for the Bengals in the loss to the Ravens despite the lopsided score. But the team has been building to stop the Ravens specifically — it should be interesting to see how the unit handles this Colts team.
Philip Rivers has completed 70.8 percent of his passes so far, though he’s thrown just four touchdowns and five interceptions. Star rookie back Jonathan Taylor is up to 307 yards and three scores on a 4.0 average.
Perhaps most concerning for the Bengals is the offensive line’s play against a superb Colts front seven that has already drummed up 11 sacks and nine interceptions. DeForest Buckner, Justin Houston and Co. have a way of making good offensive lines look average, so it’s a red flag for the Bengals considering guard play continues to hover around league-worst status.
Not that Joe Burrow won’t try to compensate and keep his team in it. But the No. 1 pick is coming off the worst game of his young career, one where he really looked like a rookie for the first time.
And while all the attention figures to center on the quarterbacks, it’s probably the running backs about to decide this one. Cincinnati is already down to signing street free agents like Xavier Williams and throwing them out there on the defensive interior on short notice. The rookie Taylor, plus a cast of backs like Marlon Mack, are likely to have big days as the Colts escape a late Burrow push.
Prediction: Colts 24, Bengals 20
