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The Indianapolis Colts will give their starters one more chance to earn valuable reps when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday.
The same cannot be said for the hosts, who will err on the side of caution while playing their backups and third-stringers.
The Bengals' fringe players emitted skunk-like odors throughout their preseason Week 2 contest against the Chicago Bears, losing in lopsided fashion 27-3.
While I don't expect the Bengals to be as woeful at Paycor Stadium (kickoff at 8 p.m. ET), the Colts' starters hold the upper hand on both sides of the ball.
Our Colts vs. Bengals predictions, picks, and NFL preseason Week 3 odds follow that narrative, backing the visitors to go into the locker room at halftime with at least a 5-point advantage.
The Colts enter Thursday's tilt as the consensus 6.5-po int favorites across our best sports betting sites.
Colts vs. Bengals prediction
Odds via our best NFL betting sites; NFL picks confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.
I hope Anthony Richardson doesn't endure the jittery start he produced during Tuesday's joint practice with the Bengals. I'm optimistic he'll acquit himself more like the second half against the Los Angeles Rams last season when the Colts almost came back from a 23-0 deficit.
He's only attempted four passes across two preseason games, all of which came against the Denver Broncos in the preseason opener. Richardson is healthy and fresh and gets the added benefit of playing against what should be an inferior second-string Bengals defense.
Reports from training camp suggest that Richardson is building momentum and improving with each s nap. I'm backing that trend to continue.
Richardson will make way for last season's Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco at some point, probably toward the tail end of the first half.
The Colts should also hold the advantage defensively, with Defensive Rookie of the Year odds second favorite Laiatu Latu salivating at the thought of getting more first-team reps after resting against the Arizona Cardinals.
Meanwhile, Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning's ribs are still hurting, so he probably won't feature in this game.
The gunslinging responsibilities for Cincinnati, and I use that term loosely, will fall on the arms of Logan Woodside and Rocky Lombardi.
Woodside threw two picks while leading his team to just three points on seven drives against the Bears, while Rocky Lombardi doesn't exactly li ve up to his fictional and glorified character's namesake. Lombardi went just 4-for-8 passing for 33 yards against Chicago.
FanDuel offers the -4.5 spread, while our other best sports betting apps are posting -5.5 or -6.5 at slightly shorter odds.
Like the Bengals' decision to start their backups, I'm erring on the side of caution.
The -120 odds yield a $8.33 profit on a winning $10 bet.
Best odds: -120 via FanDuel | Implied probability: 54.55%
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Colts vs. Bengals odds
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Colts vs. Bengals game info
- When: Thursday, Aug. 22
- Kick off: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati)
- How to watch: Amazon Prime (US), DAZN (Canada)
- Favorite: Colts (-278 via DraftKings)
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