The Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts will convened for their accustomed NFL preseason betting finale, a tradition since 2003. This will be the 26th preseason encounter between the two teams. Indy won 13-10 last year but Cincy leads the all-time preseason series 16-9. The Colts enter the final stretch before the regular season with several unanswered questions such as, when will Andrew Luck return? Will he return? And what in the blue hell is this?
#ColtsForged pic.twitter.com/uZFKcW8kwa
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) August 28, 2017
- Date: Thursday, 31st August
- Time: 7:05 PM
- Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sportsbook NFL preseason odds:
Bengals +2 (-110) 36½ (-110)
Colts -2 (-110) 36½ (-110)
QBs on film
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said he would decide whether Scott Tolzien or Stephen Morris starts against the Bengals on Thursday only after carefully reviewing on film both quarterbacks’ performances against the Steelers. Tolzien started in Saturday’s 19-15 win and completed 7 of 10 passes for 123 yards in three series, and led Indy on one touchdown drive and a field goal. Meanwhile, Morris completed 12 of 16 passes for 143 yards, leading the team on one touchdown drive and two more field goals. Tolzien has continued taking reps with the first-team offense for the time being. “I think we all saw some good things out of both guys,” Pagano said. “We won’t know until we look at the tape and really study everybody. It was great for the team and great for those guys.” Tolzien has been Pagano’s boy since running out of Luck, but Morris led the entire league in passing during the 2016 preseason, and has continuously shown the ability to make plays in game situations this preseason. Morris has now completed 71% of his passes for 348 yards and one touchdown in three NFL preseason betting games. Even Tolzien had to admit that “Stephen Morris has done a heck of a job.”
The power you’re supplying, it’s electrifying
Bengals running back Joe Mixon has got chills, they’re multiplying and he’s losing control. “We can be electrifying,” Mixon told Bengals.com. “We’ve got a lot of home-run threats. We just have to able to execute. It was exciting to see our offense moving like that.” Cincinnati’s offense has not always been given the credit it’s due but following the first three preseason games, offensive coordinator Ken Zampese may be opening some eyes. The Bengals have the deepest running back rotation in the NFL short of the Patriots, and A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert are a proficient receiving unit. More importantly, the Bengals have made it to the preseason finale without any significant injury (there’s Cedric Peerman, the special teams co-captain, but while he is Peerman, he is not necessarily peerless) so except starters as well some of the regulars to sit this one out. For example, linebacker Vontaze Burfict would skip the NFL preseason betting, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing since the Bengals should get used to playing without him, at least for the first five weeks of the regular season – regardless of whether they actually believe it was a clean hit.