Twelve carries for 32 yards pretty much says it all. The Bengals had to abandon the run in the second half when the deficit started mounting, but in the first half when the score was a manageable 10-0, they rushed eight times for 12 yards. Part of the third-down blame falls on a running game that knocked the offense off schedule with just 12 yards on five first-down carries.
Passing Offense: F
The receivers weren’t open, the quarterback wasn’t accurate and the offensive line struggled to block. Other than that, things were fine. Usually in 27-point blowouts the offense is able to cobble together some semblance of production late in the game when the outcome is already determined, but the Bengals barely did that. And even their nine-play, 60-yard drive in the fourth quarter (which accounted for 44 percent of their yards) failed to produce points when Andy Dalton went 0 for 3 inside the Indianapolis 10-yard line.
Rushing Defense: D
With so much attention focused on stopping quarterback Andrew Luck and the league’s No. 1-ranked passing game, it was expected the Bengals might have to sacrifice a little against the run. But 171 yards are more than a little. All three Indianapolis running backs had runs of at least 11 yards, and the numbers weren’t skewed by the blowout at all. The Colts gained 85 yards in the first half at 5.0 per clip and 86 in the second half at 5.0 per attempt. The Bengals were able to recover a couple of fumbles, but one was a gift on a missed exchange.
Passing Defense: D
Andrew Luck is as good as there is in the league, but this defense has proven in the past it can shut down the best of the best. Giving up 335 net passing yards wasn’t horrible. In fact, it was more than 100 yards below the Colts’ average. But it wasn’t acceptable either. The Bengals did a decent job of getting off the field on third down, limiting Indianapolis to 5 of 13 conversions, but that number still rings a little hollow considering the play on first and second down. Five Indianapolis receivers had catches of at least 20 yards.
Special Teams: B
Kevin Huber was tremendous, averaging 50.7 yards per boot, including a season-long 63-yarder. The coverage team also played well, as only two of Huber’s franchise record-tying 11 punts were returned, and they went for an average of 6.5 yards. Adam Jones averaged 30 yards on two kickoff returns and looked to be one block away from breaking his second one, but kicker Pat McAfee brought him down after he slowed up to make a cut. But Jones struggled to do anything against the Colts’ No. 1-ranked punt coverage unit, averaging 4.7 yards on three returns.
Coaching: D-
The Bengals were without their best offensive player for a second consecutive game and their best defensive player left early again, something that is bound to hamstring a coaching staff. No. A.J. Green and the absence of starting linebackers Rey Maualuga and Emmanuel Lamur along with the early exit of Vontaze Burfict keep the grade from being an F. But the Colts looked as though they knew every play call, and whatever adjustments the Bengals may have attempted certainly didn’t work.
About the Author