| Bengals
vs Colts - DECEMBER 18, 2006
by: VIP.com
After starting the season with nine straight wins,
the Colts (10-3) have hit the wall, losing three
of their last four. Despite their crisis of confidence,
Indianapolis still goes in as three point favorites
against a Bengals outfit that has suddenly clicked.
Cincinnati (8-5)
looked anything but like playoff contenders when
they lost five of six games in a horrible mid-season
slump, but they have turned it all around on the
back of some staunch defense.
Coach Marvin Lewis’
team has won four games in a row, and a victory
tonight would give them their longest winning
streak since 1988, the last time they reached
the Super Bowl.
Good old fashioned defense
has been the key to the turnaround since conceding
49 points at home to San Diego on November 12th.
The Bengals have let in a mere 33 points in their
past four games.
In addition to the defense,
the continued solid play of quarterback Carson
Palmer has been a key factor as well. Palmer’s
quarterback rating is currently first in the NFL,
while his opposite, Peyton Manning looks to be
struggling on the eve of the playoffs.
Manning failed to throw a
touchdown pass for the first time this year in
last week’s 44-17 loss at Jacksonville.
Manning has also only thrown five touchdowns in
his last five games, pedestrian numbers for him.
If Manning can regain his
“mojo”, fans will be in for a great
treat tonight. Palmer and Manning have two of
the best arms in the NFL and have thrown 46 touchdown
passes between them this year. Palmer has a slight
edge over his rival (24 touchdowns to 22) but
balancing that out, he’s also thrown two
more interceptions.
While the Bengals’
defense has been top-notch as of late, the Colts
have lost their edge in this vital area of the
game.
Coach Tony Dungy called a
crisis meeting last Monday after his team allowed
375 rushing yards to the Jaguars. That’s
the second most in the NFL since the 1970 merger,
and sent alarm bells ringing through the camp.
Unless Dungy can plug the
holes quickly, the Colts’ dreams of Super
Bowl glory can be shelved for another season.
No such problems for the
Bengals, whose only dramas at the moment are coming
off the field. Cornerback Deltha O’Neal
was inactive in last week’s 27-10 win versus
Oakland after being picked up by police for drunk-driving.
Remarkably, he’s the eighth Bengals player
arrested this year, probably an NFL record if
they kept such statistics.
Summing Up: Last year’s
game was a classic with Manning getting the Colts
a thrilling 45-37 win. But if the Bengals can
continue to show their defensive clout of recent
weeks, it will be Palmer’s turn to shine.
For all NFL betting picks,
please visit VIP.com
Posted by miker at December
18th, 2006 9:09 AM
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