The Indianapolis Colts (7-6) saw their winning streak come to an end in a brutal 34-14 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) on Sunday at Paycor Stadium.
This easily should be considered the worst game the Colts have played this season. Outside of an impact play on a pick-six from linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr., there were very few positive plays for the Colts throughout this entire game.
After falling 14-0 for the majority of the first half, the Colts scored touchdowns on consecutive plays. Mo Alie-Cox found the end zone on a fourth-down play-action call, and Harrison helped tie the game with a pick-six, which was followed up by a two-point conversion by Michael Pittman Jr. just before halftime.
Then, the wheels fell off. The Colts simply could not get out of their own way between penalties, muffed punts and a lack of execution on both sides of the ball. The Colts were shut out in the second half while the Bengals scored 20 unanswered points.
Here’s everything we know from the Week 14 loss:
Final Score:
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | |
| Colts | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Bengals | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
It was over when...
Gardner Minshew was hit by Trey Hendrickson, forcing the ball loose enough for BJ Hill to catch it for an interception with 9:23 left in the fourth quarter. At this point, it was clear the Colts simply would not win this game.
Keys to the game
- The Colts offense struggled to string drives together, highlighted by their poor third-down conversion rate (27%) and the fact that they failed to record more than two first downs on just 7-of-10 drives.
- The Bengals offense averaged 6.8 yards per play and a ridiculous 11.0 yards per pass attempt.
- The Colts committed a season-high nine penalties, which does not include a handful of penalties that were declined by the Bengals.
- A typically strong pass rush fell dormant, failing to record a single sack for the first time this season. They also recorded just three quarterback hits.
3 Stars of the game
- WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Finishing with eight receptions for 95 yards, MPJ now has six consecutive games with at least eight catches.
- LB Zaire Franklin: The star middle linebacker recorded 14 tackles (six solo) and one tackle for loss.
- LB Ronnie Harrison Jr.: Filling in for the injured E.J. Speed, Harrison gave some life to the Colts with a pick-six just before halftime.
Self-inflicted wounds
The Colts simply could not get out of their own way in this one. Matt Gay missed his only field-goal and extra-point attempt. Taven Bryan was called for a leverage penalty on a field-goal attempt that gave the Bengals a first down and eventually a touchdown. There was no stopping the screen game as running backs Chase Brown and Joe Mixon combined for 124 yards on three screen passes. The typically strong red-zone defense allowed a touchdown on 3-of-5 attempts. Offensively, the line had no answer in pass protection for Trey Hendrickson. This was a team that looked like a far cry from the unit that was coming off a four-game win streak.
Injuries
- CB Julius Brents (quad), RT Braden Smith (knee), LB E.J. Speed (knee) and RB Jonathan Taylor (thumb) were all inactive due to injuries.
Quick Hits
- Rookie RT Blake Freeland made his seventh start of the season.
- WR Michael Pittman Jr. tied Marvin Harrison for the most consecutive games with at least eight receptions in single-season franchise history (six).
- Matt Gay broke a streak of 61 consecutive field goals made inside 40 yards with his first-quarter miss from 38 yards.
- The Colts defense has recorded a takeaway in 18 consecutive games.
- This is the Colts’ second loss on the road this season and their first since Week 6 (at Jacksonville Jaguars).
- RB Zack Moss averaged 2.2 yards per carry, his second consecutive game failing to hit 3.0 yards per carry.
- This was the second time this season the Colts failed to reach 20 points in a game.
- A 20-point defeat is the largest of the season for the Colts.
What's next?
Colts head coach Shane Steichen will meet with the media Monday before the team prepares for a Week 15 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m. ET.
