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To say the Indianapolis Colts (4-2) started slowly against the Cincinnati Bengals (1-4-1) on Sunday would be the nice way to put it.
The team, especially the defense, came out flat and quickly fell behind 21-0 after one quarter of play. It appeared as though an upset was brewing, and the Colts were going to be on the wrong side of it.
But the team didn’t panic. They figured out some things on defense, and quarterback Philip Rivers led an immaculate comeback from the offensive side of the ball that included his best statistical game since taking over duties behind center.
Even with the early three-score deficit, the Colts didn’t hit the panic button.
“There really was no panic. Again, I am new to these experience with this football team. The team itself isn’t new and obviously the culture and everything is set and what we expect, so I wasn’t feeling any panic from anyone,” said Rivers after the game. “Over 17 years you have been down 21-0 before and sometimes it doesn’t go good after that and sometimes it does. We only ran eight snaps I think offensively, had eight plays at that point.”
The Colts did well to not panic, and it paid off. They chipped away at the lead in the second quarter and wound up down just 24-21 entering halftime thanks to three touchdowns in the red zone to close out the half.
Then Rivers continued his dominance en route to a victory and a three-touchdown day that was capped off by a 105.4 passer rating. The 38-year-old was in the zone, according to Frank Reich, which helped ease the transition to a pass-heavy gameplan.
It also helps that the Colts were extremely efficient when it came to situational football—an area they have struggled with to begin the season.
“It was a collective effort. Go 4-4 in the red zone where we have not been good. Go 60-something percent on third downs where we have not been very good. Average five yards a carry,” Rivers said. “Did a better job in the passing game minus the one interception that again does not need to happen right there. A little too aggressive with that decision. Overall, we found a way.”
The Colts wound up finding a way to come back from an early deficit against a team they were heavily favored against. It wasn’t ideal, but they avoided hitting the panic button and were able to chip away at the lead before eventually taking over.
Thanks to a big day from the quarterback, the Colts will now enter their bye week at 4-2.