Bengals vs Colts: What Experts Are Saying About Indianapolis

Time to find out what the experts are talking about. On the docket this week: Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts.

It could be exciting.

When you consider that the Colts are the league's top-scoring offense and the Bengals have surrendered 80 points over their last two games, the likely outcome is points.

Lots and lots of points.

Despite being hailed as one of the best teams in the league over the first four weeks, the Bengals have been less than spectacular after their 3-0 start.

But don't take my word for it. Let's see what the pros think about the Colts this week.

Stephen Holder: Trade Winds Are Blowing

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Jim Irsay has returned to the team after serving a six-game suspension.

Uh oh.

According to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, Jim Irsay is back in the lab, trying to mix up some trade magic.

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After being prohibited from consulting with general manager Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano during the suspension (Irsay was permitted to talk to his daughters, who are all team vice presidents), one of the first things the trio did this week was have an in-depth conversation about opportunities to aggressively improve the roster during the balance of this season.

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If you've been paying attention the last couple of seasons, this won't surprise you. However, in a league that doesn't provide many trades, any trade talk is bound to make some noise.

What would the Colts be looking to improve? Safety has to be considered the weakest position for Indy at the moment, but there's no telling what caliber of player Irsay would be considering.

Suffice to say, this situation bears monitoring.

Mike Wells: Colts Are Getting Healthy on O-Line

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Gosder Cherilus and Jack Mewhort both fully participated in Thursday's practice.

Per Mike Wells of ESPN.com, the Colts appear to finally be getting healthy in their front five.

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Barring a sudden change between now and Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts should have the starting offensive line they plan to use the rest of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Gosder Cherilus and guard Jack Mewhort were full participants in practice Thursday. Guard Hugh Thornton (back) was limited in practice, but should be good to go against the Bengals.

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Getting both Mewhort and Thornton back will be huge for a unit that has struggled to create lanes in the running game. Andrew Luck has avoided getting sacked frequently, but that doesn't mean the pressure hasn't been there.

The sooner this unit can gel together, the better off the Colts will be when the playoffs roll around. Consistency is key on an offensive line.

Mike Sando: Colts Defense Is the Key

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Colts D has been situationally dominant this season.

ESPN Insider Mike Sando provided some potentially eye-opening stats for those who haven't been aware of what the Colts' D has become.

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Andrew Luck deservedly gets a lot of the attention. But the Colts defense, better than expected. They are first this season defensively in third-down conversion rate allowed. They're first in third-down total QBR allowed. They're first in third-down completion percentage allowed.

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We've all heard it before. Third down is the money down. Bend, but don't break. That's this defense. The stats really say it all, the Colts are simply denying first downs at an elite level so far.

Keeping Andy Dalton in third-and-long situations will be key to continuing this trend.

Chris Towers: T.Y. Hilton Is Unbenchable

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T.Y. Hilton is fourth in the NFL is receiving yards.

Chris Towers of CBS Sports has a very strong opinion of T.Y. Hilton right now. But it comes with a warning:

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Only three wide receivers have reached double figures in Fantasy scoring against the Bengals, who are allowing the sixth-fewest Fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. Hilton himself had some trouble breaking free in his last matchup with the Bengals, as he was held to 7 yards on two catches in Week 13 last season.

Hilton now ranks fourth in the league in receiving, and finally found the end zone for the first time last week. Even with a tough matchup on the way, Hilton simply cannot be taken out of your lineup at this point

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Tough spot for fantasy owners here. The Bengals are very stingy against wide receivers, but Hilton's production is simply undeniable right now. Coming off his 223-yard performance last week, you'd have to be some kind of prophet with insider knowledge of how this game is going to go down to not play him.

I feel safe with the assumption that you, in fact, do not know how this game will play out. That being said, the answer is pretty clear.

Play Hilton until further notice.

John Clayton: Winner Could Be Third Best Team in the AFC

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Luck and his crew are trying to build a lead in the AFC South.

ESPN.com's John Clayton had a pretty bold statement in a column this week. "Sunday's game between Cincinnati and Indianapolis could determine the AFC's No. 3 seed and whether someone is progressing enough to become known as the next-best team behind the Broncos and Patriots."

I'm not exactly sure who anointed the New England Patriots the second-best team in the AFC, but that's neither here nor there.

Clearly, this game has drawn national attention. On the other hand, and as Clayton (very briefly) noted, the San Diego Chargers have made a very strong claim to be that third team in the conference. Their matchup next week on Thursday Night Football is against the Denver Broncos, and it could be a huge statement game.

The Colts, at home, should win this game. The Bengals could be missing their best player in A.J. Green and haven't won a game since Week 3. The Colts are riding a four-game win streak and are as healthy as they've been in some time.

Does that prove they are the third-best team in the AFC? Probably not something that can be decided here.

But John Clayton seems to think so.