The Indianapolis Colts dominated both side of the ball Sunday in an emphatic 27-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Andrew Luck threw for 344 yards, the running game picked up 171 yards against what was supposed to be a stout front, and the Bengals managed just 135 total yards. This was a pounding.
Bengals vs. Colts final score: 3 things we learned in Indianapolis’ shutout win
It might be time to admit that Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts are championship contenders.
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The Colts passed to open up the run. They leaned heavily on Luck early to set up grinding fourth-quarter drives. Trent Richardson’s 5.5 yards per carry was the most he has had in a single game since his rookie year.
Cincinnati had to throw to try to stay in the game, with 38 pass attempts to 12 rushing attempts, but neither facet functioned. Andy Dalton missed often, completing just 47 percent of his passes. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill picked up just 32 yards rushing on 11 combined carries.
The game may not have been as close as the score indicated. The Colts committed two turnovers, both fumbles, to help the Bengals stay within striking distance in the first half. Cincinnati was down just 10-0 at intermission despite being outgained significantly.
Three things we learned:
1) Let’s start talking about the Colts as championship contenders
The Colts lost two games to start the season, then beat up on Jacksonville and Tennessee, so it's understandable why many called them paper tigers when they were 2-2. In the last three weeks they have proven themselves much stronger, however, beating the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans in addition to the Bengals.
The Colts have had success on both sides of the ball. Andrew Luck should remain the league’s leading passer, and the defense has been nasty. Even Trent Richardson has success Sunday, with 77 yards on 14 carries.
Perhaps they looked more impressive in part because of Cincinnati’s own free fall, but would you dare bet against Indianapolis at this point?
2) Andy Dalton is destined to be erratic
Dalton had his worst game of the season against the Colts, going just 18-for-38 passing for 126 yards -- a 55.4 quarterback rating. Granted, he was going up against a stout Colts defense, but he posted 68.9 rating against the Titans, too. That's in sharp contrast to a 117.3 rating against a better Patriots secondary, or a 98.7 rating against the Ravens in Week 1.
Dalton’s performance week to week seems entirely opponent-independent, and that’s a scary thing for Cincinnati. It means that the team is capable of big things when he’s on, and may be doomed to suffer similar flameouts to their playoff appearance last season.
3) The Bengals are in trouble
You want to give the Colts credit for defeating what was a 3-1-1 team heading into the weekend that was seemingly talented on paper, but the Bengals have gotten beaten badly by two quality opponents in the last three weeks, and tied a Carolina Panthers team that just got dismantled.
Neither side of the ball is producing. The Bengals’ pass rush has disappeared, and Andy Dalton is proving just as mercurial as has been in seasons past. That trait extends to the team as a whole, lest we forget that Cincinnati looked like one of the best teams in the league through three weeks. Injuries appear to have taken a massive toll against the defense.
That start should give fans hope that the Bengals can turn things around quickly, hopefully as the team’s fortunes seemed to die after their Week 4 bye.
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