Why the Colts pass rush failed vs. the Bengals: 'We opened Pandora's Box today'

[Arkansas Bengal]

Nate Atkins, Indianapolis Star

Mon, Dec 11, 2023, 5:13 AM CST·5 min read

 

CINCINNATI -- One by one, the Colts pass rushers burst through the Bengals line, only to slip into the mirage.

 

They salivated at the sight of a backup quarterback dropping back in a back-peddle footrace to nowhere. Out there on the turf, in the cold of a December game, were the ingredients that have turned the Colts into the second-best pass rush in the NFL.

 

And then they were gone.

 

Like a magic trick on turf, Jake Browning flicked his wrist and lofted the ball over their heads and into the void. A Bengals running back kept catching those passes, turning his head and exploding through the open grass on a footrace through the throbbing heart of a hoodwinked Colts defense.

 

Chase Brown took one of those passes 54 yards nearly untouched for a score. Joe Mixon turned another into a 45-yard gain that he punctuated by stiff-arming Darrell Baker Jr. to the turf. The top three screen passes went for 124 combined yards as the Bengals ran away with a 34-14 victory to shut the Colts' winning streak down at four.

 

With an AFC wildcard spot up for grabs in a December game, the Bengals found the kill shot to a Colts' eight-headed pass rush built on momentum and an "attack" style.

 

"We opened Pandora's box today with the screen game," Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said.

 

 

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Kwity Paye (51) moves in as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron (4) draws back to pass Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

 

In the complex sport of football, even the most lethal units have a Kryptonite. The Bengals found the green rock that shriveled the Colts' pass rushers from the monsters of 42 sacks into some huffing and puffing men who could barely get a fingerprint on a backup quarterback's jersey.

 

The Colts finished with zero sacks and three quarterback hits on 28 Browning drop-backs. Browning averaged 11.5 yards per attempt as the Bengals ran away with a blowout win that left the entire Colts team like those pass rushers on a screen play, chasing something they could not catch.

 

"It's just understanding how the league is going to view you: When you're second in the league in sacks, ain't nobody going to sit back and let you go get them," linebacker and captain Zaire Franklin said.

 

The Bengals took that approach to the maximum level Sunday by incorporating screen passes with play-action and pin-play rollouts. The design was to get the Colts' 30.5-sack quintet of Buckner, Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis playing the way they love to -- attacking downhill and racing after the quarterback with reckless abandon.

 

In the shadow of allowing 34 points, 388 yards and 6.8 yards per play, those pass rushers realize that living an aggressive style means backing it up with their play.

 

"We can't just settle for getting the sack and pushing the yardage back," Paye said.

"We need to get a strip-sack or tackle-for-loss. We've got to make sure we're holding them up and getting the ball out. All those things can change the course of the game."

 

The Colts created one splash play as a defense, when a Browning pass bounced off a tight end's hands and into the arms of Colts linebacker Ronnie Harrison, who returned it 36 yards for a touchdown right before halftime.

 

The Colts did not have another turnover or sack in the game.

 

 

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Tyquan Lewis (94) leaves the field after losing to the Bengals on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, after Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The Colts lost, 14-34.

 

It's antithetical of a unit that has been suffocating down the stretch of games lately. Their four-game winning streak featured two pick-sixes by Kenny Moore II to beat the Panthers, a game-sealing interception by Rodney Thomas II to down the Patriots, a game-ending strip sack by Ebukam to edge out the Buccaneers and an overtime stand against the Titans to get the ball back for a comeback victory.

 

That success, plus the return of Grover Stewart on run downs, had the Colts defensive line running on fire. Just enough to slip into trap door the Bengals had ready.

 

And now, opponents have a blueprint of what to try on them. It won't be as easy without Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd out wide, forcing the Colts to play off coverage in order to prevent the explosive play. And it might not feature a converted safety at linebacker once E.J. Speed returns from a knee injury.

 

But it will showcase teams looking to insulate a young or backup quarterback against the terrors the Colts have brought to players such as Bryce Young, Mac Jones and Will Levis lately. That road continues in six days against the Stealers and Mitch Trubisky in a game that will be enormous for AFC wildcard positioning.

 

"We know it's going to be the same situation next week: They have playmakers on offense and the quarterback is similar to this game. They're going to want to get the ball into their playmakers' hands so as not to put too much on the quarterback," Paye said.

 

"I feel like it's going to be the same exact game next week."

 

The trap door has been laid, and the Colts have fallen into the flames. Now the best piece of the Colts' surprise season has to find its way out.

 

"We've got to put that fire out," Buckner said. "Quick."

 

 

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