Andrew Luck, Colts Strengths Shine in Win over Toothless Bengals

The popular narrative going into Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals was that the Week 7 game between the two teams didn't matter. 

Who cares if the defense kept the Bengals' rushing game contained and ruffled Andy Dalton enough to keep Cincinnati scoreless? This Bengals team had a revamped rushing attack that had dominated its opponents down the stretch.

Who cares if Andrew Luck and the Colts offense had controlled the game with a balanced attack? This Bengals team was healthier and had kept Peyton Manning in check just two weeks earlier. 

Turns out that Week 7 game wasn't a fluke.

It was rather an indication of the Colts' strengths simply being too much for the Bengals to overcome.

It started with Dan "Boom" Herron, who started the game with 58 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on Indianapolis' opening drive. It was the Colts' first opening-drive touchdown of the season and got them off to a much-needed fast start. 

The Colts run game was most successful against the Bengals earlier this season, and it was no different this time around. Andrew Luck was at his best, but having a run game gave the Colts a balance that they've missed for most of this season and allowed them to control the game throughout. 

Game	Attempts	Yards	Average	TDs
Week 7	34	171	5.03	1
Wild Card	25	114	4.6	1
Total	59	285	4.83	2

With Herron's ability to run in addition to catch and create plays out of the backfield, he finished with 141 yards from scrimmage, joining Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai as the only Colts halfbacks to finish with 140 yards from scrimmage in a playoff game. 

Herron did have a critical fumble at the end of the first half that led to a potential 10-point swing, and ball security continues to be an issue. However, that kind of production from the running back spot is invaluable to balance out the Colts offense, and Herron will continue to be a part of the Colts' game plan. 

Of course, only having Trent Richardson (who only had one or two snaps) and Zurlon Tipton—who ran well for 40 yards on 11 carries but needs a lot of offensive line help—as the other options is a big part of the need to rely on Herron. 

Then there was the defense, which may as well have been built to play against the Bengals and Andy Dalton. 

The Colts' defensive strength is man coverage, something the Bengals receiving corp struggles with outside of A.J. Green, who was hurt. Both Vontae Davis and Greg Toler had numerous big plays against the pass at cornerback, and the Colts linebackers got in on the action too. The Colts finished with nine pass breakups, a sign of tight coverage throughout the day. 

Dalton, meanwhile, couldn't make plays, despite the Colts' blitzes struggling to land. He simply gets too uncomfortable too quickly, seemingly custom-made to play against the Colts' blitz and man-coverage-heavy defense. 

While Jeremy Hill started the game strong on the ground, it was a similar tale to the Colts' Week 7 win, as the team buckled down and stuffed the run game to make Cincinnati a one-dimensional offense. With Dalton at quarterback with a ravaged group of targets, that wasn't a winning formula for Cincinnati. 

Game	Attempts	Yards	Average	Touchdowns
Week 7	11	32	2.91	0
Wild Card	16	53	3.31	1
Average	13.5	42.5	3.15	0.5
Avg. vs Other Teams	25.3	118.1	4.68	0.87

Finally, of course, came Andrew Luck. 

The difference between him and Dalton was stark throughout the day. Where Dalton failed to create for his offense, Luck did brilliantly, whether it was scrambling for a conversion on third down, throwing the ball accurately downfield or setting up his running backs for yards after the catch on dump-offs. 

Despite a few early drops from normally reliable T.Y. Hilton, among others, Luck was brilliant throughout the day, finishing 31-of-44 for 376 yards and a touchdown. 

Some of the plays he made were simply out of this world. 

While he was pressured, Luck had more time than usual against the Bengals' toothless pass rush, and he took advantage of it. 

With 376 passing yards, Luck now has 1,438 passing yards in the playoffs, the second most ever for a quarterback in his first three seasons. If Luck throws for 242 yards next week against the Denver Broncos, he'll pass Dan Marino for first place on the list. 

Sure, Luck has thrown a few picks in playoff games in past years. Sure, his play took a slight dip at the end of the season. 

But he has always been the driving force of the Colts, and that was the case once again on Sunday. Despite drops, fumbles and penalties holding the Colts back in the first half, they controlled the game because Luck was brilliant. While the team only had a three-point lead at halftime, it just felt like it was going to break through eventually because Luck was on point. 

In the third quarter, needing a score to gain separation again, Luck threw a brilliant touchdown pass to Donte Moncrief while under pressure (see above), and the game turned. 

The defense went out and was visibly hyped from the play, dominating the Bengals throughout the second half. The offense continued to control the clock, turning to the run game to bleed the clock after scoring on its two drives following the touchdown pass. 

The game was over. 

People talk about one or two plays making or breaking NFL games. While the Colts manhandled the Bengals on Sunday, that play was the breaking point, and Luck was the one who found the weak spot. 

The Colts' strengths were simply too much for the Bengals. The biggest strength of all, Andrew Luck, was too much for the Bengals. 

Now let's see if he can do it again.