Bengals at Colts stream, odds, pick and prediction

CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 30: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) warms up before the preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals on August 30th 2018, at Paul Brown in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Mandatory Credit: Michael Hickey/Getty Images /

The Colts are … the favorite?

Home field is generally given a value of three points when Vegas sets NFL odds, and that’s right where it is here with the Colts favored by a field goal (via Oddsshark). Otherwise, this would be a neutral game or the Bengals might even be favored slightly.

The Bengals have the overall talent advantage over the Colts, so being a road underdog is a little surprising even with last year’s disappointing results and accounting for home field.

Odds

Line: Indianapolis (-3)
Over/Under: 48.5

The over/under for this game is actually on the higher end on the NFL slate this week, behind only Texans-Patriots (51), Rams-Raiders (49.5) and Buccaneers-Saints (49.5) and just above a likely Chiefs-Chargers shootout (48). That’s a testament to one very bad defense (the Colts) going against the better offense in the game, and Luck being back to help Indianapolis’ offense, as Vegas tries to get people to somehow consider betting the over.

A close game between the Bengals and the Colts is likely, though a higher-scoring game appears to be unlikely all things considered. But that combination seems to be what the oddsmakers foresee here, and who are we to argue with that?

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