The Colts' defense imposed themselves right from the jump as Indianapolis handily defeated the Bengals, 27-14, in Cincinnati on Thursday night.
The starters for Gus Bradley’s unit made it difficult for Cincinnati to move the ball, despite it being against mostly backups. They allowed just 24 total yards of offense, which would be indicative of the defensive performance as a whole.
Indianapolis held the Bengals to under 160 total yards of offense, roughly a 50/50 split for 80 yards on the ground and 80 through the air. But what was most impressive was allowing just seven points by the Logan Woodside-led offense, which came with 4:07 to play in the game.
The pass rush wasn’t completely dominant, but the starters did enough for first-round pick Laiatu Latu to register his first sack in a Colts uniform. Defensive tackle Eric Johnson II made a commendable hustle play to chase down Woodside from behind and force a fumble as well, an important confidence boost for him after a less than satisfying training camp.
Anthony Richardson and the offense got off to a similar start. The second-year quarterback was hot on his first series, going 6-for-7 as he found rookie Adonai Mitchell for a 10-yard touchdown, Mitchell’s first as a Colt.
But Richardson quickly cooled off. After the touchdown drive, he was just 1-for-6 before leaving the game midway through the second quarter.
He was, however, on the receiving end of some bad luck as some accurate throws resulted in drops and a couple miscommunications led to incompletions, including his first career pick-six. He and Kylen Granson read the defensive coverage differently, and the result was Jordan Battle taking the football back for the Bengals’ first points of the game.
Richardson reflected on his mixed-bag performance after the game, noting that the interception was tough to swallow.
“[Kylen] Granson saw something, I saw something… we just gotta be on the same page,” Richardson said.
On a later drive, lazy ball security saw him lose the football, but was fortunate to see Quenton Nelson scoop it up to retain possession. His final stat line: 8-for-14, 86 yards, TD, INT.
While he’s likely to receive some criticism for his mistakes, Richardson is not focused on the outside noise.
“When it comes to people talking, that doesn’t really faze me much,” he said. “People have been talking pretty much my whole life…I’m just gonna do me, keep doing me, no matter what anybody else says, so I’m not really worried about it.”
For a 22-year-old with only four NFL games under his belt, this level of maturity will only serve him well as he continues to develop.
Head coach Shane Steichen shared the same quiet confidence over Richardson’s interception.
“We just gotta get on the same page,” he said. “We’ll go back and get that thing cleaned up, so [I’m] not concerned about that.”
In regards to Richardson’s struggles to find completions after the opening drive, Steichen again was unbothered.
“Look, guys are going to miss throws,” he said with a grin. “I don’t care if you’re a second-year player or a 15-year vet. I don’t have any concerns with that.”
The rushing attack was again highly effective for Indianapolis. Between Tyler Goodson and Evan Hull, the run game continued to flaunt its depth with Trey Sermon remaining sidelined with a hamstring injury. The two of them combined for 87 yards on 21 carries. Demetric Felton added late insurance with a 40-yard burst to pay dirt. Steichen hinted at the fact that the roster spots at that position are far but secured.
“There will be tough decisions to be made, especially at that running back position,” he said. “That’s the hard part about these things, making those decisions.”
Those decisions must be made by 4 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Aug. 27, when the Colts must finalize their 53-man roster. Once that’s complete, preparations for the regular season begin. The Colts kick off their campaign by hosting the Texans on Sept. 8 as they look to avenge their Week 18 loss which saw their season end while Houston went to the playoffs.
