Bengals vs. Colts 2015 picks and predictions: Cincinnati expected to win on road
The Bengals have a poor playoff history, but have a chance to erase painful memories with a victory over the Colts Sunday.
The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals meet Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium with plenty on the line in their AFC Wild Card matchup. Indianapolis aims to advance to the Divisional round for the second consecutive season, while Cincinnati simply wants a playoff win. The last time the Bengals won a playoff game, Boomer Esiason was quarterback and Andy Dalton was in diapers.
The two teams already played in Indianapolis this year, with the Colts humiliating the Bengals, 27-0, back in Week 7. Andrew Luck was sublime that afternoon, throwing for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Dalton struggled horrifically. The fourth-year quarterback out of TCU had one of his worst games ever, totaling 126 yards on 18-of-38 passing.
The crazier number from the day was Cincinnati's rushing yardage, limited to 32 yards on 12 carries. On the other side, Trent Richardson ran for 77 yards on 5.5 yards per carry, his best average of any game this season. Richardson, who Indianapolis acquired for a first-round pick last year, has become a massive disappointment. The former Alabama star averaged just 3.3 yards per rush in 2014, the fourth-lowest of any back.
Over at ESPN, the 13 analysts are split with the Colts drawing seven of the picks. The fine folks of CBS Sports are leaning toward Cincinnati getting the job done on the road. Of the eight experts, six believe in Marvin Lewis’ group while Ryan Wilson and John Breech side with Indianapolis.
Here at SB Nation, the Bengals are getting plenty of love with five of the seven predictions going their way. The OddsShark computer favors the Colts, giving them a 1-point win.
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