To get a more holistic sense of the Week1 matchup the Bengals have against the Colts, I talked to a FanSided expert on the Colts.
In advance of the Bengals’ matchup with the Colts this weekend, we decided to do a Q&A session with Horseshoe Heroes. Horseshoe Heroes is the Colts fan site on FanSided, and their expert is Ryan Stano. I wanted to get a sense of their thoughts leading into the game against the Bengals, and what he believed the Bengals’ biggest weaknesses were heading into the season.
The conversation Ryan and I had is below, and it covers most of the major points the Colts are dealing with leading up to Sunday. The other half of the Q&A, where he asked me about the Bengals, will be up on Horseshoe Heroes, so feel free to give that article and their site a read! Here’s what Ryan had to say about the impending Bengals-Colts matchup:
Q: Is Andrew Luck ready? Or, will he be back to 100% in Week 1?
A: Andrew Luck should be fully healthy now and has been for a while, but still has rust. This will be his first real test to see how he handles the pressure of a real football game again. His deep throws are something to watch since he didn’t do much of that in the preseason.
Q: I’m thinking your biggest concern is the offensive line. Do you agree? If not, what is it?
A: Offensive line is my biggest concern for sure. Right tackle is a complete mess, and the left tackle spot might have a backup in it for this game too.
Q: What are the Colts going to try to exploit with the Bengals? What’s the gameplan going against Cincinnati?
A: The Colts should try to pick on the secondary as much as possible. T.Y. Hilton should have a big game, as should Jack Doyle. The Cincinnati secondary has been suspect in the past, so if they can protect Luck, he will get a ton of yards.
Q: Prediction? What’s your pick straight up and against the line?
A: The Colts are favored by 3, which seems appropriate. It should be a close game. The Colts should beat the Bengals, but only by three so I would take the points.