The Indianapolis Colts (4-2) came out flat on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals (1-4-1) but by the time the fourth quarter ended, they were in victory formation.
It was a sloppy start for Indy, who got down quickly 21-0. But they never panicked and quarterback Philip Rivers led an impressive comeback while turning back the clock in the passing game.
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the Week 6 win:
The Good
QB Philip Rivers: The 38-year-old had his best game this season. He completed 29 of 44 passes for 371 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. All three of his touchdowns came in the red zone.
Run Defense: The Colts again were strong against the run. They held Joe Mixon to just 3.0 yards per carry even though they did allow three rushing touchdowns at the goal line.
Situational football: The Colts were 7 of 11 (64%) on third downs and 4 of 4 (100%) in the red zone. That helped immensely in their comeback efforts.
WR Marcus Johnson: Despite playing the third-most WR snaps, Johnson led the way with five catches for 108 yards. He’s the first Colts receiver to hit the century mark this season.
The Bad
Red-Zone Defense: The Colts are typically solid in this phase of the game. But the Bengals converted all three of their red-zone trips into touchdowns and were 2/2 on their goal-to-go attempts.
Pass Rush: This goes more for the unit as a whole. DeForest Buckner wound up having a solid day, but the Colts got almost nothing from the edge. It has to be more consistent in the second half of the season.
The Ugly
First-Quarter Defense: It was as bad of a start as it could be. The Colts essentially spotted the Bengals 21 points in the first quarter before mounting their comeback. The entire defense was to blame, especially when it came to third downs.
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