The Cincinnati Bengals look to rebound from their tough Monday night loss to the Steelers when travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts. Indy started as an 8 point home favorite, but the line has been pulled down to 7 points at most sites. The squares are playing the Colts at better than 2:1, which means the sharps are backing the Bengals in this contest. The public always seems to back the Colts, and this week is no different. But consider fading this public favorite and taking the Bengals with the points. 5 Dimes and SportBet are still posting the opening number, so get the extra value if you can.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season. Sure, Dallas had a complete meltdown that cost Wade Phillips his job. Yes, the Minnesota Vikings look to be on the verge of imploding with Brad Childress joining Wade Phillips in the unemployment line. And yes, San Francisco was just terrible in the first half of the season. But don’t forget about the Bengals. They won the AFC North last season, but you wouldn’t know it by the way they’ve played this year.

So why back the Bengals in this game? The main reason is the injuries to the Colts. Indy will likely be without Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, which puts a lot of pressure on Peyton Manning. Manning has a limited receiving corps, too. Dallas Clark is out for the season after having wrist surgery. Austin Collie left last week’s game with a concussion and won’t be playing. Anthony Gonzalez is on the Injured Reserve list. With that many weapons missing, 8 points is a lot to be giving a team as talented as Cincinnati.

That’s what’s so irritating about the Bengals – they have a lot of talent, especially at the skilled positions. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco make the best pair of receivers on any team. Jordan Shipley has great hands at the slot. And Jermaine Gresham is one of the best tight ends to come into the League in a while. Carson Palmer has underperformed all season long, but has been better in recent weeks. Hopefully he’s starting to get into rhythm with his receivers.

The defense, which was so good last season, hasn’t been bad this year. The pass defense hasn’t given up 300 yards all season long, and four out of their eight games they’ve held opponents to under 200 yards passing. Considering the Colts’ backfield is severely limited, that means the Colts will have to play to the Bengals’ defensive strength.

There’s a possibility that the Bengals will get a shocking win against Indianapolis, but chances are that Peyton Manning will lead a late, game winning scoring drive with the Colts failing to cover the spread. It’s hard to get behind the Bengals with how disappointing they’ve been all season, but they’re probably the way to go in this one. Consider fading the public favorite and taking the Bengals with the points.

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