The Colts get defensive on the Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals @ Indianapolis Colts Game Recap
Indianapolis, on Sunday, welcomed the Cincinnati Bengals to Lucas Oil Stadium and they were rather rude host. The Bengals were fresh off a valiant effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night where they just feel short. Cincinnati, in all reality, is better than the record that they have but it takes time to get the cohesive feel for a team filled with big names and superstars. Indianapolis has been on a roll and they have reeled off big wins and looked to stay on track against Cincinnati. For the Colts the offense, though riddled with injuries, has been clicking on all cylinders and filling in with ‘no-name’ players and beat has went on as Manning is having another potential MVP season. On the defensive side of the ball is where the concern has been, the defense has been known to give up many rushing yards against opposing offenses. Indianapolis was looking, in this game, to show not only could they stop the running of Cedric Benson and also slow down Terrell Owens and keep frustrating Chad Ochocinco. Let’s get to the action:
The Colts kicked off the action in the 1st quarter with a 28-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal and finished up the first quarter with a big play on defense from Kelvin Hayden as he intercepted Carson Palmer and returned it back for a touchdown from 31-yards out, making the score at the end of the 1st quarter Cincinnati 0, Indianapolis 10.
Second quarter action both teams got involved on the scoring, for the Colts Javarris James had a 3-yard touchdown run following a 7 play drive, Cincinnati finally got on the scoreboard as Mike Nugent kicked a 27-yard field goal and then Carson Palmer capped off a 9 play, 85 yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco. Just before the half the Colts tacked on another Vinatieri field goal from 47-yards out making the score Bengals 10, Colts 20.
In the third quarter it was a defensive battle and a field position struggle, neither team got on the scoreboard in the quarter and the score remained 10-20.
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In the fourth it was the Colts who struck first as Vinatieri connected on another 47-yard field goal and the Bengals struck back with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham to pull the Bengals closer but that would be it for the scoring for both teams and the final score was Cincinnati 17, Indianapolis 23.
A couple of big keys from the game Peyton Manning DID NOT throw a touchdown pass in this game very rare for Manning and the Colts offense. It wasn’t that the opportunities were not there because they were it was that the passes were dropped and if this continues it could frustrate Manning and the offense. Another key for the Colts was the defense really stepped up and came to play picking off Palmer 3 times and recovering 2 fumbles the defense also held Cedric Benson to just 24 rushing yards on 14 attempts. This could be a turning point for the Colts defense only time will tell if they have figured out the winning formula on the defensive side of the ball.
Key Stats:
Cincinnati Bengals
Carson Palmer 31 of 42 292 yards 2 touchdowns 3 interceptions
Cedric Benson 14 rushes 24 yards 0 touchdowns
Chad Ochocinco 7 receptions 86 yards 1 touchdown
Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning 20 for 36 185 yards 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions
Donald Brown 12 rushes 50 yards 0 touchdowns
Jacob Tamme 7 receptions 73 yards 0 touchdowns
Continue to check out Profootball-fans.com for the latest game preview and recaps on the Indianapolis Colts. Next up for the Colts will be the old rivalry game against the New England Patriots a game you will not want to miss.
By Sam Adams
ProFootball-fans.com Staff Writer