Bengals blow 21-point lead, lose to Colts 31-27
CINCINNATI — The Bengals got off to a hot start, but it wasn't enough on Sunday against the Colts. Cincinnati blew a 21-point first half lead, as Philip Rivers had his best game of the season, leading the Colts to a 31-27 victory.
The eight-time Pro Bowler sliced and diced the Bengals' defense in the final three quarters. He finished with 371 yards and three touchdowns.
The Colts outscored the Bengals 31-6 over the final 43 minutes of action.
Cincinnati's offense only scored three points in the second half and failed to produce any big plays down the stretch.
The Bengals were driving downfield for the game-winning score, but rookie quarterback Joe Burrow was intercepted by Julian Blackmon at the Colts' 19-yard line with 46 seconds remaining. The pass was intended for Tyler Boyd.
Burrow completed 25-of-39 passes for 313 yards and one interception.
The Bengals fall to 1-4-1 on the season. The Colts improve to 4-2.
Hot Start
The Bengals got off to their best start of the season. Joe Burrow led the offense on three consecutive touchdown drives to start the game.
All three of their scores came on the ground. First, Giovani Bernard ran it in for a two-yard touchdown. Burrow followed that up with a two-yard sneak into the end zone on fourth down.
They scored 14 first quarter points, which is more than they scored in the opening quarter in their first five games combined (13).
The Bengals led 21-0 following Joe Mixon's seven-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. That was their final touchdown of the game.
Green Sighting
A.J. Green had his best game of the season. The 32-year-old finished with eight receptions (11 targets) for 96 yards.
He had a couple huge catches, including a 10-yard reception on 4th-and-nine that extended their final drive. Burrow threw the interception two plays later.
Missed Kick
Randy Bullock missed his first kick since Week 1 on Sunday. His 48-yard attempt hit off of the right crossbar. It would've given the Bengals a 30-28 lead with 8:02 left in the forth quarter.
False Start
Offensive linemen Bobby Hart, Alex Redmond and Michael Jordan were each called for false starts on Sunday. Higgins was also called for a false start. The Bengals were penalized six times on the day.
Road Woes
The Bengals are 0-16-1 in their last 17 road games. Head coach Zac Taylor is still looking for his first road win.
Up Next
The Bengals host the Browns on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Paul Brown Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET. Cleveland beat Cincinnati 35-30 in Week 2.
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