AFC Wild Card: Cincinnati vs Indianapolis Predictions
NFL playoff football betting action sees the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday January 4 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Cappers Picks provides free NFL handicapping tips all season long.
This is a rematch of a game that was all Colts from earlier in the season.
NFL Odds
AFC Wildcard
Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-1) vs. Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
Sunday January 4
1:05PM
Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
CBS
NFL Betting Lines: Indianapolis -3.5
NFL Betting Total: 49.5
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Both team can look great at times but which one is going to show up when it matters most?
Cincinnati
At their best the Bengals can beat any team in the league and look good doing it but at their worst they look like a team that should be nowhere near the playoffs.
This week they revisit the scene of their worst outcome of the season a 27-0 loss to the Colts.
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Cincinnati struggles with consistency and this week will be looking to rebound for the umpteenth time this season. A lot of that will hinge on the play of their QB and their defense will have to control one of the league’s best offenses.
Andy Dalton may be the linchpin but I think Cincinnati can win as long he plays mistake free. Their running game can be extremely effective at times and their defense is more than good enough to stop a Colts attack that although prolific can be one dimensional.
Dalton shouldn’t have to win the game against a Colts defense that is far from fearsome – just not lose it.
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The Bengals are a live dog.
Indianapolis
One of the least surprising results of the 2014 season was the fact that Indianapolis won the AFC South.
They finished relatively strong, winning 5 of their last 6, but most of those were against pretty weak competition.
In most of the games against playoff level competition the Colts came up short, save wins over Cincinnati and Baltimore. Still there is a lot to like about this Indy team right now and into the future.
Though they are probably a defensive difference maker away.
Unlike the Bengals the Colts need their QB to lead the way if they are going to win.
Andrew Luck led the best passing attack in the league but Cincinnati has some pretty good cover corners to try and disrupt them. Unfortunately the running game never got going for Indy this season.
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They smartly don’t give up on it but they don’t get much which makes it hard to salt away games and play traditional playoff football.
NFL Handicapping Trends:
- Under is 4-0 in Bengals last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
- Under is 6-0 in Bengals last 6 road games.
- Bengals are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games in January.
- Under is 4-0 in Colts last 4 games overall.
- Under is 4-0 in Colts last 4 vs. AFC.
- Colts are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Indianapolis.
- Favorite is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
- Home team is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
AFC Wildcard Prediction: Over
Cincinnati will hope to muck this one up but I think we will see a pretty clean offensive game.
4* NFL Score prediction: Indianapolis 33 – Cincinnati 28
Take the over and both teams can score on the other. The best game of the weekend will be this one.
Check out our Updated NFL Wildcard Odds.
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