remarkable of his career.The

The Bengals are in the thick of the AFC North race heading into the second half of the season. Entering Week 9. Cincinnati is 5-3 and just a half game behind the Steelers for first place in the AFC North. By the end of the week Giovani Bernard Jersey , the Bengals could be back atop the division if the Steelers lose to the Ravens on Sunday.So, you would think the Bengals have good odds to win the division, but not quite. The latest odds from Bovada has the Bengals actually getting just the third-best odds to win the AFC North at 2-1. The good news is that’s actually a boost from last week when Cincinnati had 12-5 odds to win the division. The Steelers lead the way at 6-5 odds, followed by the Ravens at 8-5. The Bengals already have a win over the Ravens, but that came in Cincinnati. The two teams will face off in Baltimore in Week 11, a game that should put the winner in prime position for a playoff berth.Whoever loses the AFC North between those three teams will be in a tight race for the final Wild Card spot if the 5-2 Chargers keep playing well and earn the No. 5 seed since the Chiefs should win the AFC West. All told, the Bengals are in great shape to make the playoffs, but to do so as division champs, they’ll need to have a strong second half of the season, not to mention win at Pittsburgh in Week 17. 2018 AFC North OddsPittsburgh Steelers: 6-5 oddsBaltimore Ravens 8-5 oddsCincinnati Bengals 2-1 oddsCleveland Browns 80-1 odds INDIANAPOLIS 鈥?When Andrew Luck gazes over Cincinnati’s defense Sunday, he’ll see some of the league’s top pass rushers.Defensive tackle Geno Atkins often gets the interior push. Michael Johnson Michael Johnson jersey , Carlos Dunlap and Carl Lawson routinely bring the outside pressure.So with Luck making his first start in more than 20 months, the Cincinnati Bengals hope to make life miserable as the Colts‘ quarterback re-acclimates himself to regular-season life in the NFL.“My biggest concern, they have a really good front seven,” Luck said. “It’s always a tough defense. Geno Atkins is a heck of a player, (Carlos) Dunlap on the edge, got guys that can cover. So it’s always a challenge.”Circumstances could make this season opener even more challenging for Indy.Longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury and was limited in practice earlier this week. Denzelle Good, who appeared to be the favorite at right tackle, hasn’t played since hurting his left knee in the third preseason game.Then there’s rookie left guard Quenton Nelson, the No. 6 pick. He’s likely to draw the assignment on Atkins, and there’s no assurance second-year running back Marlon Mack will return from a hamstring injury that has kept him off the field since the preseason opener. If Mack can’t play, rookies Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines may be asked to help protect Luck Kevin Huber Jersey , one of the league’s highest-paid players.No, it’s not an ideal start for a quarterback who missed the 2017 season while recovering from surgery on his throwing shoulder.But the Colts may not have a choice.“We will do everything we can do to neutralize the pass rush 鈥?no matter what five guys are up front,” new coach Frank Reich said. “And that will be No. 1 on the pass game agenda each week: How do you protect the passer?”The Bengals, who have lost eight straight in Indy, have other concerns.They’re expecting to face a crowd eager to welcome back Luck and capable of making enough noise to slow down the pass rushers.“I think everybody there is going to be excited,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. “We know the kind of player that he is. I guess if you’re going to play Andrew Luck, you’d rather be playing him now than Week 12.”NEW STRIPESThe Bengals debut their redesigned offense under coordinator Bill Lazor after giving a few previews during the preseason. They made more of an effort to get big plays, something missing last season. Andy Dalton looked comfortable with the new playbook in his limited preseason time, completing 71 percent of his passes with four touchdowns, one interception 鈥?the receiver fell on his route 鈥?and a passer rating of 130.9.“I feel real comfortable with the way I played,” Dalton said.DOUBLE DOSELast year Clint Boling Jersey , in Philadelphia, Reich took advantage of a plethora of solid tight ends.聽Expect more of the same this season in Indy.The Colts signed free agent Eric Ebron, Detroit’s first-round pick in 2014, to help stretch the field as Pro Bowler Jack Doyle continues to exploit the middle. Indy also has former basketball player Eric Swoope and Ryan Hewitt, a former Bengal, on the roster. All four could play Sunday.NEW O-LINEThe offensive line was the biggest issue in Cincinnati’s offense finishing last in the league in 2017. That unit has been overhauled, leaving聽only one returning starter, left guard Clint Boling.It’ll be the first time that left tackle Cordy Glenn, rookie center Billy Price, right guard Alex Redmond and right tackle Bobby Hart play together in a regular-season game.RECORD WATCHAdam Vinatieri’s 23rd NFL season could be the most remarkable of his career.The four-time Super Bowl champion needs seven field goals to break Morten Andersen’s record (565), five field goals from the 40-49-yard range to take over the top spot from Gary Anderson and 58 points to break Andersen’s mark of 2 Vincent Rey Jersey ,544.How has he done it? By keeping things in perspective.“You definitely want to start off on the right note,” he said. “We know how important it is, we know how much our owner wants to win this first game. We know how important it is to win at home in front of our home crowd, all the above.”NO BURFICTFor the fourth straight season, the Bengals will be without linebacker Vontaze Burfict at the outset.He missed the first six games of 2015 while recovering from a knee injury and has been suspended for the start of each of the past three.This time, Burfict will miss the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.