Bengals vs. Colts: Complete Week 7 Preview for Cincinnati

A rough two weeks bleeds into a third as the Cincinnati Bengals limp to Indianapolis for an AFC encounter with Andrew Luck and the surging Colts, winners of four in a row.

After a bye, Cincinnati got laughed out of Foxborough via a 43-17 defeat at the hands of New England, only to turn around last week and play to a tie with the Carolina Panthers. During this excruciating period, injury news has only gone from bad to worse, too.

Despite the wealth of bad news, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is intent on keeping his team's eyes forward.

"I can't look behind. It does no good looking back," Lewis said, per STATS LLC (via ESPN.com). "There's too much ahead to look back all the time, and there's too much change in the future to look back. You're wasting your time look backwards."

The Colts have hit a hot streak in that same time span after losing their first two games of the season—close losses to contenders Denver and Philadelphia. The four-win streak is padded thanks to a schedule that reads Jacksonville, Tennessee, Baltimore and Houston, but a win streak is a win streak.

For the second week in a row, the question becomes "How will the Bengals respond?" If Lewis' team is to pick up a road win over a playoff favorite, an improvement against the pass to shut down Luck and more offensive creativity to make up for a loss of star power is a must.

Within, let's break down the matchup and the factors surrounding it in detail for Cincinnati.

Bengals' Week 6 Recap

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Upon hearing that the Cincinnati Bengals posted 37 points without A.J. Green a week ago, many would presume the team was able to win at home against the Carolina Panthers.

Instead it was a tie.

Andy Dalton and the offense seemed to spread the ball around better than ever without Green on the field and even corrected past third-down issues, going 10-of-16 on the day, but 513 yards and 37 points was simply not enough.

Mohamed Sanu once again looked great as the main target, this time catching 10 passes for 120 yards and a score. Giovani Bernard picked up a lot of the slack, too, with 18 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown.

The defense once again struggled against the running game, this time confounded by the read-option presented by Cam Newton, who threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns to one interception while also leading the team in rushing with 107 yards and a score.

Old problems hurt the team, too. Questionable calls or not, the Bengals were flagged 13 times for 119 total yards.

If the team is going to go on the road and upend a strong Indianapolis squad, a better showing in the discipline department is a must. The offense seems to continue to roll regardless of who is and is not on the field, but there is plenty of room for improvement on the defensive side of things.

News and Notes

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Marvin Jones Permanently Goes to the Shelf

There is no help on the way for the Cincinnati Bengals wideout corps.

According to Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com, the team has placed last year's No. 2 wideout on injured reserve:

"

#Bengals have moved Marvin Jones to IR.

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) October 14, 2014"

Marvin Jones is a major loss in that his presence would have opened things up in a big way for other targets on the offense. Mohamed Sanu has shown well the past couple of weeks, but having them both on the field would have been ideal. 

Cincinnati fans will instantly recognize the name Greg Little, as the former Cleveland Browns wideout has signed on with the Bengals for depth purposes.

Vontaze Burfict in the News for the Wrong Reasons

While usually the name to watch on the defensive side of things, there is even more reason to keep a close eye on linebacker Vontaze Burfict this week—because the league sure will.

According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Burfict has been hit with a hefty fine by the league office for twisting the ankles of opposing players last weekend:

"

#Bengals LB Vontaze Burfict fined $25K for twisting ankles of Cam Newton, Greg Olson. Will be summoned to league office next infraction

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) October 15, 2014"

Burfict was also the subject of a few questionable personal foul calls against Carolina. With an increasingly negative on-field reputation, watch for how timid Burfict does or does not play this week in Indianapolis to avoid unnecessary laundry. 

The A.J. Green Conundrum

As the Bengals head to Indianapolis without A.J. Green for the second week in a row, it is time to be openly honest about something.

The offense looks great without Green in the lineup.

That is not to suggest Green is a hindrance. Please. He is arguably a top-five player in the league overall. But as Dehner notes, when Green missed most of the Atlanta game and all of last week's contest, the offense was superb:

"

#Bengals two best games by offensive efficiency this year were Atlanta, Carolina. Those were w/out Eifert, Jones, Green.

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) October 14, 2014"

So what's the deal? In theory, Green's presence should open things up for others. Perhaps Dalton feels an obligation to get the ball to Green. Regardless, it is certainly something to watch as the Bengals hit the road. A spread-it-around attack that gains plenty of yardage seems likely once more. 

Injury Report

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Player	Position	Injury Status
Emmanuel Lamur	LB	Questionable
Rey Maualuga	LB	Questionable
Kevin Zeitler	G	Questionable
A.J. Green	WR	Questionable

 *All injury reports are from ESPN.com. Will be updated when official report is released.

Once again the Cincinnati Bengals linebacking corps has the look of a mess, although it is notable that Vontaze Burfict is not listed after seemingly hurting himself for a moment again last week.

By all accounts, guard Kevin Zeitler will be given the green light to return by kickoff. A.J. Green sounds like a scratch, which is the smart move if the staff feels he is not ready to go considering the offense did fine a week ago with him in sweatpants on the sidelines.

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

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Bengals Defense vs. Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener

This will continue to crop up until the Cincinnati Bengals can better counter opposing team's tight ends on a week-to-week basis.

The problem reared its head again last week in the tie against Carolina, as veteran tight end Greg Olsen caught six passes for 62 yards and a score. As fans are aware, it was a continuance of a weekly, not to mention yearly, problem.

This weekend in Indianapolis presents the Bengals defense with two talented tight ends to counteract. Dwayne Allen has 18 catches for 253 yards and four scores, while running mate Coby Fleener has 13 for 150 and three.

While the two are not a major part of what allows the Colts to tout the league's No. 1 passing attack, they do serious damage in the red zone. Should that, along with Cincinnati's struggles continue, it may be a long day at the office for the Bengals.

T.Y. Hilton vs. Bengals Secondary

The owner of eight plays of at least 20 yards and 604 yards overall, T.Y. Hilton is one of the most dangerous weapons the Cincinnati defense will encounter all season.

Hilton feasts on single coverage as one of the premier deep threats in the league while defenses are tasked with stopping pass-catching backs such as Ahmad Bradshaw, the aforementioned pair of tight ends and veteran Reggie Wayne.

If the Bengals lose track of Hilton deep down the field, he can and will post eye-popping numbers in a hurry and put the game out of reach. It sounds a tad exaggerated, but Hilton is the guy who went for 223 yards on just nine catches against Houston last week.

For a secondary with plenty to worry about Sunday, No. 13 needs to be the top priority on each and every down.

Bengals' X-Factor of the Week: Giovani Bernard

Giovani Bernard proved a week ago that he can change the complexion of a game with one touch of the football thanks to his 89-yard touchdown run before finishing with 137 yards and 20 more yards through the air.

This week Bernard's importance is magnified once more as a tool to keep the defense honest. The Colts rank among the top half of the league in terms of rush defense, so his ability to produce at a steady clip will open things up for a less-than-ideal set of weapons in the passing game.

A strong contribution through the air could not hurt, either, as Bernard's pass-catching abilities can suck defenders in and open things up for others such as Jermaine Gresham underneath.

For an offense without its best player, the big plays have to come from somebody. Once again, that somebody needs to be Bernard.

Prediction

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The Cincinnati Bengals showed a week ago that the offense can play at a high level thanks to superb roster building put on by the staff over the course of the past few years. 

Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson's ability to squeeze the most out of his available talent is not only mightily impressive, it will go a long way toward helping the hobbled Bengals to stay competitive Sunday.

While sound in a statistical sense, the Indianapolis defense struggles when spread out and confronted with a number of weapons to monitor. This not only opens things up for Mohamed Sanu on the outside, it also presents Giovani Bernard with some pretty significant rushing lanes.

As long as the Cincinnati offensive line can keep Andy Dalton off his back in the face of a stout pass rush, the Cincinnati offense will have enough in hostile territory to sneak away with this one.

That does presume, though, that the roster learns from the mistakes of last week and keeps the flags off the field. More opportunities for Andrew Luck can and will produce a loss. Sunday is an important growing step for the 2014 Bengals, so expect issues to be corrected.

Prediction: Bengals 28, Colts 27

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).