has become Gardner Minshew’s favorite option over the last five games, catching 45 catches for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Pittman now needs 111 yards for his second 1,000-yard season and 13 receptions for his first 100-catch season in his four-year career. He might have another big day against the league’s 27th-ranked pass defense on Sunday.
BENGALS PLAYER TO WATCH: Jake Browning was forced to fill in for franchise quarterback w a Joe Burro fter he suffered a wrist injury. Browning, 27, finished 32 of 37 for 354 yards and a touchdown in his second NFL start, while also rushing for 22 yards and another score. The Bengals’ passing yards and overall total of 491 yards were also season highs.
KEY MATCHUP: In the Colts’ overtime win over Tennessee last week, QB Minshew threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns. The Bengals’ defense allows around 270 passing yards each game.
KEY INJURIES FOR THE COLTS: RB Jonathan Taylor is scheduled to miss a second straight game due to right thumb surgery. RT Braden Smith (knee) left the game last week. Starting cornerback JuJu Brents (quad) has missed five straight games due to injury. DT who stuffs the run Grover Stewart is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday after serving a six-game ban for violating the league’s rules on performance-enhancing substances. Bengals running back Chase Brown (hamstring) and RT Jonah Williams (back) were both restricted in practice on Wednesday.
NOTES ON THE SERIES: When these teams met in 2020, the Colts snapped a two-game losing streak. Indy has now dropped three straight games in Cincinnati. The Colts have scored at least 23 points in all five of their previous meetings with the Bengals. The distance between Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati is 99 miles, making it the shortest road trip in the AFC and the seventh lowest in the NFL. Until the NFL switched to a 17-game regular-season schedule in 2021, the Bengals and Colts clashed yearly in their preseason finales.
STATS AND FACTS: Indy has won four straight games, the longest active winning run in the AFC. The Colts last won five consecutive games in 2018. With one more win, they will have matched their win total from previous season. They enter Week 14 with the seventh and final playoff spot in the conference. Minshew has nine 300-yard games in five pro seasons, including three this season, a career high. He needs one more win to reach his single-season career high (six) set as a rookie in Jacksonville. Pittman will join Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison for the longest record in the franchise’s Indianapolis era if he extends his string of straight games with eight or more receptions to six. Indy now has 42 sacks after adding six more against Tennessee last week.
FANTASY TIP: Rookie RB Chase Brown rushed nine times for 61 yards against the Jaguars, a performance that could earn him more playing time in a season in which the Bengals’ running game has been largely ineffective.
