Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Sunday, November 14, 2010, 1:00 pm EDT, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Colts -8
Current Line: Colts -7
Opening Total: 47.5
Current Total: 47
Money Line: Colts -350 / Bengals +290
The Cincinnati Bengals (2-6) are coming off a disappointing 27-21 home loss to Pittsburgh on Monday night and will try to snap a five-game losing streak on Sunday when they visit the Indianapolis Colts (5-3). The Bengals dug themselves into a 27-7 hole due in part to sloppy play in the opening minutes when they fumbled the opening kickoff and had a punt blocked on their first two possessions. Cincinnati failed to complete a furious comeback that left them just short of the game-winning score, something Indianapolis (-7) experienced last week as well.
The Colts dropped a tough 26-24 decision at Philadelphia after winning their previous three games but still covered the spread to move to 3-0-1 ATS in their last four. Indy has been dealing with a number of injuries on the offensive side of the ball and lost wide receiver Austin Collie to a concussion in the second quarter against the Eagles. The team is already without All-Pro tight end Dallas Clark (wrist), wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (knee) along with running backs Joseph Addai (shoulder) and Mike Hart (ankle) due to injuries.
Still, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning continues to prove himself as one of the leading MVP candidates in the NFL due to his unique ability to take advantage of whoever he has on the field with him. Former backup tight end Jacob Tamme is the perfect example, totaling 17 receptions for 172 yards and scoring two touchdowns since replacing Clark in the starting lineup. Manning has also dominated the Bengals during his career, going a perfect 6-0 against them with 17 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.
Indianapolis is playing with a depleted backfield as well with Donald Brown and rookie Javarris James splitting time at running back. Brown finally appears healthy after recovering from a lingering hamstring injury, as he ran 15 times for 50 yards against Philly while James made the most of his goal-line carries by scoring the first two touchdowns of his young pro career.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s issues have been on both offense and defense. The Bengals are surrendering 27 points per game during their skid, and offensively they have not been in sync like they were last year during their AFC North divisional title run. The addition of wide receiver Terrell Owens has been the lone bright spot, as he is among the league leaders with 55 receptions, 770 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Fellow wideout Chad Ochocinco has struggled mightily recently with only four catches for 49 yards combined in the last two games.
The OVER is 4-1 in Cincy’s last five games overall, and the team has not covered the spread once during the losing streak. The Bengals have won four of the last five meetings with the Colts, but all four of those wins took place during the preseason. Indy has crushed Cincinnati in the last two regular-season meetings, winning by a combined score of 69-19 and covering both times.
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