Unlike the Patriots or the Ravens, the Bengals didn’t need to make a great escape to secure victory on Sunday.
Instead, Cincinnati led throughout in a 42-28 victory against AFC South-leading Indianapolis on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
This was a triumph for the Bengals’ offense, which racked up 430 yards and six touchdowns — three rushing, three passing — in an impressive performance.
With the win, the Bengals (9-4) kept a two-game lead over Baltimore (7-6) in the AFC North.
The Colts (8-5) got a big game from quarterback Andrew Luck, who threw four second-half TD passes — two to rookie wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers and a pair to second-year wideout LaVon Brazill. However, the Colts again started slowly, scoring no first-half points.
Also, the Colts’ defense had a tough day. Like the Colts, the Bengals scored 28 second-half points.
In the win, Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton threw for 275 yards and three TDs with no interceptions. The Bengals also got two rushing TDs from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, including a controversial one-yard score near the end of the second quarter. At first, Green-Ellis was ruled to have been touched down short of the goal line on a fourth-down run, but the call was reversed, and the Bengals took a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Then, on the first drive of the second half, the Bengals marched 80 yards on nine plays, with Green-Ellis’ second touchdown giving Cincinnati a 21-0 edge. Though the Colts would cut the lead to 21-14 on Luck TD passes to Rogers (69 yards) and Brazill (19 yards), the Bengals would respond with two touchdowns of their own, with Dalton hitting tight end Jermaine Gresham for a one-yard score and wideout A.J. Green for a nine-yard tally.
It was that sort of day for the Bengals, who always had an answer for the Colts.