Bengals at Colts: Week 16 preview, odds and injuries

Week 16 · Sun, Dec 27 · Lucas Oil Stadium12 AM ET

at12 AMET · TBD

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 2:59 PM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) visit the Indianapolis Colts (2-7) on Sun, Dec 27, time TBD at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN (Week 16, 2026 season).

When and where is Bengals vs Colts?

Sun, Dec 27, time TBD at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN.

Who is injured for Bengals vs Colts?

Bengals: Kyle Dugger (S, questionable, quadriceps). Colts: Jalen Travis (OT, doubtful, knee), A.J. Haulcy (S, questionable, ankle), Akeem Davis-Gaither (LB, questionable, knee), Jaylon Carlies (LB, questionable, neck), Justin Walley (CB, questionable, knee) and Mo Alie-Cox (TE, questionable, groin).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Bengals at Colts: Week 16 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2026-12-27-cin-at-ind (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 15 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Bengals dropback offense vs Colts pass defense
The Bengals' dropback offense ranks 3rd in EPA per dropback (+0.26, 322 dropbacks) against a Colts pass defense ranked 23rd (+0.11 allowed, 297 dropbacks faced).
3rdCIN offense20 spots apart23rdIND defense
2Colts run game vs Bengals run defense
The Colts' run game ranks 5th in EPA per rush (+0.01, 232 rushes) against a Bengals run defense ranked 24th (-0.04 allowed, 176 rushes faced).
5thIND offense19 spots apart24thCIN defense
3Bengals takeaway defense vs Colts ball security
The Bengals' takeaway defense ranks 5th in turnovers per game (1.5 takeaways a game, 8 games) and faces a Colts ball security ranked 29th (1.9 giveaways a game, 9 games).
29thIND offense24 spots apart5thCIN defenseSmall sample, read with care Why sample size matters

When the Bengals have the ballEdge CIN · +20 ranks

CIN dropback offenseEPA per dropbackIND pass defense

3rd+0.26322 dropbacks

CIN +20

+0.11 allowed297 dropbacks faced23rd

CIN run gameEPA per rushIND run defense

18th-0.10162 rushes

CIN +14

+0.03 allowed226 rushes faced32nd

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Colts have the ballEdge IND · +19 ranks

IND dropback offenseEPA per dropbackCIN pass defense

31st-0.22341 dropbacks

CIN +17

+0.03 allowed316 dropbacks faced14th

IND run gameEPA per rushCIN run defense

5th+0.01232 rushes

IND +19

-0.04 allowed176 rushes faced24th

Third downEdge IND · +8 ranks

CIN third-down offensethird-down conversion rateIND third-down defense

1st54.6%97 third downs

32.7% allowed107 third downs faced4th

IND third-down offensethird-down conversion rateCIN third-down defense

20th38.0%121 third downs

IND +8

47.5% allowed101 third downs faced28th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneEdge CIN · +15 ranks

CIN red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateIND red-zone defense

5th66%32 trips

CIN +15

63% allowed24 trips faced20th

IND red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateCIN red-zone defense

16th58%24 trips

CIN +11

41% allowed29 trips faced5th

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge CIN · +12 ranks

CIN big-play offenseexplosive-play rateIND defense against big plays

17th9.3%484 plays

CIN +12

11.1% allowed523 plays faced29th

IND big-play offenseexplosive-play rateCIN defense against big plays

25th8.0%573 plays

11.2% allowed492 plays faced30th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge CIN · +13 ranks

CIN pass protectionsack rateIND pass rush

8th4.7% sacked322 dropbacks

CIN +8

6.4% of dropbacks297 dropbacks faced16th

IND pass protectionsack rateCIN pass rush

22nd7.3% sacked341 dropbacks

CIN +13

7.3% of dropbacks316 dropbacks faced9th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge CIN · +24 ranks

CIN ball securityturnovers per gameIND takeaway defense

16th1.1 giveaways a game8 games

CIN +15

0.7 takeaways a game9 games31st

IND ball securityturnovers per gameCIN takeaway defense

29th1.9 giveaways a game9 games

CIN +24

1.5 takeaways a game8 games5th

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesCIN 0 · IND 1 regulars out or doubtful

Bengals1 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QKyle DuggerS66% defense · 4 wk

Colts6 listed

1 of them is a regular ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

DJalen TravisOT93% offense · 9 wk
QAkeem Davis-GaitherLB92% defense · 8 wk
QA.J. HaulcyS83% defense · 8 wk
QJustin WalleyCB72% defense · 7 wk
QJaylon CarliesLB49% defense · 7 wk
QMo Alie-CoxTE38% offense · 9 wk

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelSame rest · CIN travels 99 mi

AwayBengals

7days since last game

99miles to get here

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 15 at CAR · Charlotte · 13,298 mi flown this season

Body clock 12:00 a.m.

Rest edgeEvensame restTravel gap 99 mi

HomeColts

7days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Sun wk 15 at TEN · Nashville · 11,950 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: CIN 8 games, 484 offensive and 492 defensive plays · IND 9 games, 573 offensive and 523 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32