The final week of preseason NFL football concludes with 10 games on Saturday, including this matchup at Paycor Stadium between the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
Neither team is going to play any of their starters after the Colts determined their starting quarterback battle, and the Bengals played almost three full quarters of Joe Burrow and company.
Here is my top Colts vs. Bengals prediction and NFL picks for Week 3 of the preseason on Saturday, August 23.
Colts vs Bengals prediction
Colts vs Bengals Best bet: Under 34.5 (-110)
Rookie quarterback Riley Leonard is going to get the start for the Indianapolis Colts after they announced Daniel Jones as the Week 1 starter, and do not want to risk injury for Anthony Richardson. He will play the entire first half, and then Jason Bean will play the whole second half.
Many of the other offensive preseason stars for the Colts will also likely be sitting, like rookie tight end Tyler Warren and wideout Ashton Dulin, since they need to see players who are competing for the final roster spots.
On the other end, the Cincinnati Bengals have played their star players in the preseason for the first time under head coach Zac Taylor this season. This was meant to solve some of the issues they have had recently with getting off to slow starts in the regular season.
Well, apparently, Taylor had seen enough, as none of the starters will be playing in this game. That means we will see a split of Jake Browning and Desmond Ridder, similar to how the Colts are playing their quarterbacks.
The Colts have totaled 13 points in this preseason with Leonard and Bean at quarterback in four total quarters. The Bengals have totaled 23 points without Joe Burrow in about six quarters of football this preseason.
While neither defense is promising, they have typically only struggled against opponents when the key players on offense were in the game. With both teams playing deep in the depth chart for most of the game, I do not see a lot of touchdowns being scored.
Colts vs Bengals odds
- Spread: Indianapolis +1.5 (-110) | Cincinnati -1.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Indianapolis +100 | Cincinnati -120
- Over/Under: Over 38.5 (-110) | Under 38.5 (-110)
How to watch Colts vs Bengals
| Location: | Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH |
| Date: | Saturday, 8-23, 2025 |
| Kickoff: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN Unlimited |
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