Bengals defeat Colts in battle of the backups
Too much was at stake for the Bengals and Colts’ starters to be on the field for an extended period of time in pre-season finale for both teams on Thursday night. But that didn’t mean that this was going to be a low scoring affair, as Cincinnati edged Indianapolis 30-28 in the battle of the backups.
The Bengals, who finished the pre-season 3-2, called upon the services of quarterback Carson Palmer for only their opening series, before giving way to J.T. O'Sullivan, and eventually to Jordan Palmer.
The game was knotted up 6-6 after two quarters, and all signs indicated that the second half was going to be another defensive battle with very few points. Cedric Peerman made sure that did not happen and flashed his speed in the second-half with a 93-yard touchdown run to silence the Colts fans.
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“He shows the speed that we knew he’s got. That was the thing Cedric had coming out of Virginia a year ago,” Lewis said. “He’s been an impressive guy for us,” said Bengals head Coach Marvin Lewis.
On Cincinnati’s next possession, Jordan Palmer threw a 17-yard touchdown strike to receiver Jerome Simpson to give the visitors a 20-6 lead. Palmer completed 10-of-14 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Lewis took this pre-season finale as a last chance to see how his players fighting for a spot on the Bengals roster would fare. “We got an opportunity to look at the guys we wanted to for the most part. That was the plan this summer and we were able to conclude it tonight and see the guys get out there and play.”
Meanwhile, the Colts opted not to dress their franchise quarterback Peyton Manning and gave him the night off. Curtis Painter got the start and completed nine of 20 passes for 114 yards. He has had a frustrating pre-season, posting mediocre numbers in each exhibition, struggling early and often.
Painter tossed three interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers back in week two and has not shined when given the opportunity. Conversely, third string quarterback Tom Brandstater had an excellent night, completing 10-of-18 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns. He may have won the back-up job last night. Simply put, Brandstater delivered during training camp and in the past four weeks while Painter did not.
"We had a chance to look at a number of different aspects we wanted to look at," head coach Jim Caldwell said after the Colts lost their fourth pre-season game. "I think a lot of young guys got an extensive chance to play. I think we'll certainly be able to do some evaluating from the film."
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