The Cincinnati Bengals, who defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football, have unexpectedly returned to the postseason picture. They will now stay in the AFC South this week when Paycor Stadium welcomes the Indianapolis Colts.The Colts would be the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs and the Bengals would be on the outside looking in if the season ended right now. The Bengals would benefit greatly from a victory over the Colts in terms of tiebreakers, but will they be able to pull it off?
Colts pass-rush could deal Bengals OL fits in Week 14
Jake Browning, who made his second NFL start and passed for nearly 300 yards, brought the offence to life last week. Browning was only twice taken to the ground by the Jaguars pass rush.
That Colts pass rush, though, might be more difficult to stop. The Indianapolis Colts’ pass rush is their strongest suit, according to Jaleel Grandberry of Horseshoe Heroes, FanSided’s Colts-focused website. See the full transcript of our talk below.
Jaleel: Few predicted Indianapolis would be in the running for the playoffs going into the season. But the squad has performed better than anticipated, and with five games remaining in the regular season, a postseason appearance appears plausible. The Colts are a competitive club, but their lacklustre remaining schedule is the biggest obstacle to their chances of making the playoffs. The only teams with winning records left on Indianapolis’ remaining schedule are the Houston Texans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are, well, the Steelers of 2023, and the Colts have already defeated Houston this season.
Jaleel: Indianapolis has regularly depended on its run game over the duration of the season. Zack Moss, Jonathan Taylor, and a revitalised offensive line have given Indianapolis the upper hand. But in recent weeks, the attention has been drawn to Indianapolis’ youthful pass rush. With four straight wins, the Colts have amassed 21 sacks as a team. Indianapolis is second in the NFL in total sacks this season with 42.
Gardner Minshew’s lows, which occur a few times during each game, are the team’s weak point. The Colts’ season is preserved because they have Minshew as a backup. Nevertheless, he commits a number of expensive errors each week that make games more difficult than they need to be.
