NFL Week 6 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1) at Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

The Bengals offense didn’t do much to inspire confidence last week against the Ravens. We all witnessed that Joe Burrow is in fact human and capable of having rookie struggles. The question will now become how he and this offense will bounce back in Indianapolis against the Colts.

Philip Rivers has some proving of his own to do. This is his first season as a Colt, and he is playing on a one-year contract. He had one of his worst games yet last week completing only 55 percent of his throws. He also has yet to throw multiple touchdowns in a game. He will be meeting up against a Bengals defense that is fresh off an inspiring performance against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

Can Burrow and this Bengals offense meet the level of play of the defense played with last week, or will Cincinnati start a new losing streak?

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals take on the Colts:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1) at Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

Date/Time: Oct. 18th, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana

Series Leader: The Colts lead the series 17-12

Streak: The Bengals have won the past two meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: (0-0). Frank Reich (0-1)

Television: The game will air on FOX-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WXIX-TV (Ch. 19) in Cincinnati, WGRT-TV (Ch. 45) in Dayton, WDKY-TV (Ch. 56) in Lexington, and WTTE-TV (Ch. 28) in Columbus. Broadcasters are Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Chris Spielman (analyst) and Laura Okmin (reporter).

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation Colts’ site: Stampede Blue

Weather: Mid 50’s, dangerously windy but they will play in a dome [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, +9 [Odds Shark]

Bengals notes

• Joe Burrow completed 19 of 30 passes (63.3 percent) for 183 yards last week. He has five touchdowns and an interception for a 90.1 passer rating in three career road games. He ranks third in the NFL with 135 completions.
• Joe Mixon led the team with 94 scrimmage yards (59 rushing and 35 receiving) last week. He aims for his third in a row with at least 90 yards from scrimmage. He has 258 scrimmage yards (129 per game) and a rushing touchdown in two career games against the Colts.
• Tyler Boyd had four catches for 42 yards last week. He has 35 catches for 442 yards (88.4 per game) and three touchdowns in his past five on the road. Tee Higgins had a team-high 62 receiving yards last week. He aims for his fourth game in a row with at least four catches. He ranks second among AFC rookie wide receivers with 16 catches this season.
• Carlos Dunlap had his first sack of the season in Week 5. He aims for his third game in a row against Indianapolis with a sack and pass deflection. He has three pass deflections, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pick-six in his past three games against the Colts. Geno Atkins aims for his third game in a row against the Colts with a sack. Logan Wilson aims for his third game in a row with an interception. He is tied for the lead among rookies with two interceptions. Josh Bynes led the team with eight tackles last week. Jessie Bates had seven tackles and two pass deflections in Week 5. He aims for his fourth in a row with a pass deflection. He had eight tackles in the last meeting with the Colts.

Colts notes

• Philip Rivers completed 21 of 33 passes (63.6 percent) for 243 yards last week. He became the fifth player in NFL history with at least 5,000 (5,017) career completions. Rivers aims for his third in a row against the Bengals with a 95 passer rating. He ranks sixth all-time in passing yards (60,498) and touchdown passes (401).
• Jonathan Taylor led the team with 74 scrimmage yards (57 rushing and 17 receiving) and had a rushing touchdown last week. He has had at least 70 scrimmage yards in four of five career games. He is tied for the lead among rookies with three rushing touchdowns and ranks third with 307 rushing yards this season. Nyheim Hines had seven catches in the last meeting.
• T.Y. Hilton led the team with at least six catches for 69 yards last week. He had five catches for 46 yards and a touchdown in the last meeting. Marcus Johnson had a season-high 53 receiving yards in Week 5. Trey Burton had a season-high five catches last week. He had five catches for 53 yards in his only career game against the Bengals (12/4/16 with the Eagles). Mo Alie-Cox has a receiving touchdown in two of his past three games.
• Darius Leonard had nine tackles and a fumble recovery in his last meeting with Cincinnati. He aims for third game in a row at home with a pass deflection and a tackle for a loss. Bobby Okereke led the team with a career-high 10 tackles and had his first-career interception last week. He aims for his third game in a row with at least eight tackles. Justin Houston has had a sack in two of his past three games. DeForest Buckner had a sack in his only career game against the Bengals (9/15/19 with the 49ers).