Colts vs. Bengals prediction, pick, odds for Thursday’s NFL preseason Week 3 game

Sam Farley's Colts vs. Bengals Preview

The Colts and Bengals meet on Thursday after a fiery joint practice this week. This is the final of each team's preseason games and one that normally sees the majority of starters rested, although that won't be the case this week.

Joe Burrow only threw seven passes in the Bengals' first preseason game against the Bucs, and we're unlikely to see the former first overall pick on Thursday. We're also unlikely to see key starters, too.

That isn't the case for the Colts, with head coach Shane Steichen confirming on Tuesday that we'll see the starters — including Anthony Richardson — and that they'll "play about a quarter and a half, probably, give or take." That news is the reason why the Colts moved from 2.5-point favorites to 6.5-point favorites.

Whether the offense will do well is another question after the Colts and Richardson got a lot of heat in the joint practice this week. Richardson struggled and notably tried to extend plays with his legs frequently, with Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill shouting, "Throw the ball," and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt saying, "All he does is run."

Then when Richardson did pass he got picked off.

Colts vs. Bengals Start Time, Channel, Location

Colts vs. Bengals will be broadcast live on Prime Video. Colts-Bengals is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

My Colts vs. Bengals Prediction

We're taking the under due to the lack of quality at QB, with the Bengals splitting reps between Logan Woodside and Rocky Lombardi and the Colts using Kedon Slovis, Jason Bean and Sam Ehlinger behind Richardson in their most recent preseason game against the Cardinals.

If Richardson doesn't improve on his practice performance then he'll struggle again here. Given that the under has landed in 26-of-33 preseason games so far, we'll continue to back that with poor offense looking likely here.

Pick: Under 34.5 (-108)