Indianapolis Colts vs. Cincinnati Bengals Ten In-Depth Observations

Jan 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) greets Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) after the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Without A.J. Green, the Cincinnati Bengals offense looked completely lost, and they didn’t exactly play their best game on defense against the Indianapolis Colts. This game could have been won by an even bigger margin than 26-10 for the Colts, as T.Y. Hilton uncharacteristically dropped some long passes after doing well to get open against a normally solid Bengals secondary. This wasn’t a banner performance from this organization, and Green’s injury shouldn’t be an excuse for this ten-point performance; there were major problems that not even Green could fix.

1. Let’s start with the most puzzling one, and that was the Bengals usage of Jeremy Hill. They seemed to devolve back to the first-half of the season with their usage of the sensational rookie, as he received just 13 carries and averaged under four yards per carry against a Colts defense that clearly wasn’t scared of Andy Dalton‘s noodle-arm. Even so, this was a close game at the half, and the Bengals, who failed to net a first down in the entire third quarter, seemed to abandon the running game right in the second half. With Green out, just about everyone expected Hill to be the main factor, including the Colts. Even though the Colts stacked the box against him, he was still arguably better at moving the ball than Dalton.

2. The Bengals biggest problem, though, wasn’t their usage of Hill, but rather the play of their starting quarterback. Dalton had it rough without Green, but this was one of the most inept performances I’ve seen from a quarterback. In a playoff game against a weak pass defense, Dalton never challenged the Bengals defense, and he finished with a ridiculous average of just 4.4 yards per pass attempt. Going 18-35 is never good, but it’s just downright pathetic when dinking-and-dunking for an average of just 8.6 yards per completion. Pathetic.

Whenever the Bengals were faced with a third-and-long situation, it just seemed like they gave up on passing plays, as Dalton would just check down to someone like Giovani Bernard, who led the team with eight receptions for 46 yards (that’s 5.8 yards per reception). Dalton had no interceptions, but that doesn’t matter if you simply play into the defense’s hands by never challenging them. When he did throw it deep, though, Dalton looked dreadful, and I still don’t know why he threw a pass to Brandon Tate in double-coverage.

Next: Hilton's playmaking makes up for drops