Bengals vs. Colts: Full Report Card Grades for Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts got their fifth consecutive win, but this was the best one yet, shutting out the Cincinnati Bengals in a complete 27-0 victory.
Defensively, the Colts were completely dominant, giving up just 27 total yards in the first half on 28 plays from scrimmage. Offensively, things were a little slower with fumbles from Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson. They were able to score just one touchdown in the first half, heading into the locker room with a 10-0 lead that felt like it should have been a lot bigger.
That lead was able to grow in the second half as the defense continued to shut down Cincinnati. Andrew Luck was finally able to make some plays, including a couple of touchdown passes to Dwayne Allen and Bradshaw.
Although the defense didn't force any turnovers, it was dominant by not allowing the Bengals to convert on third down. By the end of the game, the Bengals had put up just 135 total yards, while punter Kevin Huber had to kick the ball away 11 times.
After two losses to start the year, the Colts are now rolling and aren't looking back. Not only do they have the league's best offense, but the defense continues to improve. And that's making the Colts one of the more legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the AFC.
With a dominant performance like this out of the way, let's take a look at the complete report card grades for each unit from Sunday's win against the Bengals.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Andrew Luck did not get off to a great start, going 4-of-9 with just 25 yards on the two opening drives. Late in the first quarter, he threw a pass directly to a Bengals defender that should have had an easy interception had he not dropped the ball.
Although it felt like Luck was off for most of the game, he eventually settled down. Luck finished the game with 344 yards and two touchdowns on 27-of-42 passing, putting up some great numbers on a day where he didn't even have his best stuff. Oddly enough, it was actually only the second game this season for Luck without throwing an interception.
The Colts didn't need Luck to have a good game, and that took a lot of pressure off him. If these are going to start being considered "off" games for Luck, then I can't imagine what his resume is going to look like once his career is over.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
After a couple of nice runs early, Ahmad Bradshaw had a big fumble in the red zone that cost his team some easy points. That was tough to see considering how great he's been playing. Fortunately, he was able to turn it around later, running in for a touchdown after a nice 15-yard run took his team to the goal line.
Trent Richardson still isn't fast, but he made some very nice decisions early on, rushing for 32 yards on his first six carries. Next he broke off a couple receptions for a combined 32 yards but then fumbled the ball shortly after. Whenever he starts to play well, something bad happens, and that has to be frustrating.
Both running backs settled down by the end of the game, and they ended up each having solid games. Richardson finished the game with 77 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving while averaging a solid 5.5 yards per carry. Bradshaw put up another 88 total yards, adding touchdowns on the ground and through the air.
Once the game was out of hand, the Colts turned to Dan Herron, the sophomore running back out of Ohio State, and he produced. Herron finished the game with 37 yards on just five carries, making the most of his touches and running with purpose.
The running backs had one of their best games of the season, and besides a couple fumbles, all three backs played great.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Trying to repeat his performance from last week's win on Thursday Night Football, T.Y. Hilton got off to a quick start against the Bengals, catching six passes for 93 yards through the first half. For an offense that was off to such a slow start, Hilton was one of the bright spots. Hilton finished with just one more catch, but he still finished with 107 yards, giving him another good game.
The rest of the receivers were pretty quiet in the first two quarters, with Hakeem Nicks and Donte Moncrief not getting any catches. Reggie Wayne had just one catch for nine yards, and the Bengals weren't afraid to be physical with him, with Adam Jones laying him out in the first quarter.
Wayne's arm appeared to bother him, causing him to drop two easy passes during the game. He finished the game with just four catches for 15 yards.
Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener were both involved in the offense early, combining for four receptions with 49 yards. Fleener almost had a huge play before halftime on third down with no one around him, but some miscommunication between Luck and Fleener resulted in an incomplete pass.
Allen only had one catch in the second half, but it was a good one, going 32 yards down the sideline for a touchdown after a terrific grab. Fleener finished the game with 64 yards on four receptions, giving both tight ends some solid numbers.
While the receivers weren't as involved as usual besides Hilton, the tight ends help give this unit a better grade because of their productivity. Wayne gets a pass for appearing to deal with an arm injury, but Nicks needs to step up and get more involved.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The return of the offensive guards in Jack Mewhort and Hugh Thornton were big lifts to the running game in the first half on Sunday. The two were able to help open up the running lanes again, helping pave the way for 85 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
In the passing game, the offensive line wasn't as reliable as it has been most of this year. Luck was sacked just twice in the first half, but he dealt with more pressure than he's been used to this season. The Bengals came into Sunday's game with just eight sacks this year, so it wasn't like the offensive line was going against an elite pass rush either.
The offensive line was much better in the second half, however. Luck wasn't sacked again and had plenty of time to find targets to put the game out of reach. All of the running backs did a great job, but they also had huge running lanes, finishing with a total of 171 rushing yards as a team.
Thanks to a strong second half, the offensive line finished with a very good outing. This year's line is significantly better than last year's, and that's been a big reason this offense has been so effective.
Grade: A-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line came to play this week, as did the rest of the defense. Cory Redding has been the vocal leader for this defense, and he continued to back it up with great play on the field. Redding was able to end the first half by keeping the Bengals out of field-goal range with a sack.
The depth on the defensive line was visible early on, with everyone contributing. The Bengals had a very hard time running the ball through the first two quarters, picking up just 12 yards on eight carries. Things didn't get any better either, finishing the game with 32 yards while averaging only 2.7 yards per carry.
While Arthur Jones continues to try and get back on the field, Ricky Jean-Francois has been able to hold his own on the defensive line. He had another big game Sunday, sacking Dalton and helping stop the run. Undrafted rookie Zach Kerr had a good game as well, sacking Dalton on the last play of the game.
A lot of the pressure on this defense goes on its line, and Sunday, its depth helped it shut down the running game as well as put pressure on the quarterback.
Grade: A+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The inside linebackers made a statement early on against the Bengals. D'Qwell Jackson made some big plays behind the line of scrimmage, while Jerrell Freeman did a nice job in pass coverage, even forcing an incompletion on third down.
Freeman and Jackson were motivated, but they weren't the only linebackers to stand out. Bjoern Werner, who has been dealing with the impossible task of replacing Robert Mathis, looks like a new player compared to his rookie season. He was able to get another sack on Sunday, giving him four this season.
Erik Walden made a big mistake before halftime, touching a referee and getting tossed from the game. Jonathan Newsome was his replacement and actually had a pretty good game, generating pressure and doing his part against the run.
Freeman's presence has been a big lift to this unit, but he has to stay healthy. This is still probably the weakest unit on the Colts' depth chart, and there are few options to replace either Jackson or Freeman. But at least it's playing well right now.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
Without Green on the other side of the ball, the Colts secondary was able to dominate Cincinnati's receivers. Vontae Davis sent an early message with a massive hit on Giovani Bernard in the first half but also continued to shut down whomever he covered. He later made a great play on second down near the goal line to prevent any points in the fourth quarter, ripping the ball out of Brandon Tate's hands.
Greg Toler stepped up in a big way as well, doing a good job containing the Bengals receivers. With Darius Butler not playing again this week, Toler needed to shut opposing receivers down, and he was able to do that pretty well.
Despite a big 32-yard gain on a great catch in double coverage from Mohamed Sanu, the Colts were completely able to limit the big plays from the Bengals. Dalton completed just 18 of his 38 passes for 126 yards, not able to find the end zone.
Mike Adams and Sergio Brown were rarely tested in this game, but so far they've been much more effective than when LaRon Landry was in the lineup. Brown has been an upgrade at the position, and that's solidified this secondary considerably.
If the pass rush can continue to show up, things will be easier on the secondary. And with the talent in this unit, it'll be able to keep shutting down the passing game.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
The special teams continue to be reliable for the Colts, and it was a typical day from Adam Vinatieri and Pat McAfee. The 41-year old kicker remains perfect on field-goal attempts this season, making another two today, including a 50-yard bomb that was perfect near the end of the game.
Meanwhile, McAfee continues to make a very strong case for his first Pro Bowl selection. On six punts, he averaged 48 yards per attempt, pinning the Bengals inside their own 20-yard line twice. His best punt came on a booming kick from his own 20-yard line, going 59 yards through the air.
Griff Whalen didn't have a lot of chances to make plays in the return game, but he didn't fumble any catches with the sun in his eyes. Overall, the special teams had another terrific game.
Grade: A+
Coaching
9 of 10
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky deserves all the credit in the world for calling a great game and completely shutting down the Bengals offense. Lately, he hasn't been afraid to call blitzes, generating a lot of pressure on the inside of the offensive line.
Pep Hamilton called a solid game as well, recognizing Cincinnati's weakness and taking advantage of it. The Bengals came into this game as one of the worst teams against the run, so Hamilton made sure to keep calling running plays, running the ball 34 times as a team while averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
It's clear that coach Chuck Pagano had his team ready this week, especially with the extra rest from playing on Thursday last week. The coaches didn't have a lot of tough decisions to make but only because their team was in control from the start.
The coaching staff has been criticized a lot over the years, but things are coming together. And when the team is winning, the critics get quieter.
Grade: A-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | A |
| WR | A- |
| OL | A- |
| DL | A+ |
| LB | A- |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | A+ |
| Coaching | A- |
| Cumulative Grade | A |
When a team plays like this, no one can stop it.
Any time the Colts offense puts up 506 total yards but the story of the game is the defense, you know things are going right. The Bengals had 54 plays on offense but were only able to put up 135 total yards, averaging just 2.5 yards per play.
Luck didn't play well, but this offense continues to be the best in football. The balance of running and passing along with a surprisingly good offensive line has made it very difficult for opposing teams to plan against it.
The defense is making it harder and harder to sell this team. Outside of the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, the Colts may very well be the best team in the AFC right now. With an elite quarterback in Luck and a consistent special teams unit, anything can happen for the Colts once the playoffs begin.
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