Indianapolis Colts hold off Bengals
Only a few weeks ago, it seemed that the Cincinnati Bengals were going to be legitimate contenders in the AFC North with the addition of Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens. Now, it would appear that the sky
is falling on the 2-7 Bengals, who just can’t seem to get a much-needed victory. Cincinnati came close to pulling off the upset, but the Colts withstood the Bengal’s late comeback efforts and won Sunday’s contest 23-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"That's the way it has been with this team over the years," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "We find ways to win games like this. We needed to do that today, and we did."
It seemed that Indianapolis (6-3) overlooked the woeful Bengals and it almost cost them the game. Down by six points late in the fourth quarter, the Bengals recovered on onside kick. The offence got an even
better field position after Colts’ receiver Pierre Garçon took off his helmet in frustration, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty. With the game well within reach, the Bengals squandered a golden opportunity. On the ensuing play, rookie Jermaine Gresham fumbled
the ball, but it was recovered by the defence.
Cincinatti did get the ball back with under a minute to play, but the Colts’ defence sacked quarterback Carson Palmer on back-to-back plays to end the game. Robert Mathis had one of those sacks, bringing
his total to 6.5 on the season.
Palmer completed 31 of 42 passes for 292 yards and two scores in a valiant effort. Little consolation, as it wasn’t enough to secure the victory. Once again, Palmer and Owens failed to rise to the occasion
and come up big when needed. The Bengals have lost six straight games and have fallen all but out of play-off contention.
Conversely, Indianapolis moved into first place in the AFC South. It wasn’t pretty, but Coach Jim Caldwell and the Colts will take it. Peyton Manning had no touchdown passes but he efficiently picked apart
the Cincinnati’s secondary and threw for 185 yards. Manning relied heavily on the underneath passing game with short and accurate throws.
He basically played his game while orchestrating long offensive drives. Running-back Javarris James rushed for a TD and the defence pitched in after Kelvin Hayden returned an interception for a score.
"We just have to keep working and find a way to score more points and keep our defence out of those pressure situations," Manning said. "They came up big all day and we have to try and do our part."
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