CINCINNATI – The next time the Colts play a game, the result of it will count.

That's not to say Thursday night's preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium didn't matter; the five series played by the Colts' starting offense and three series for the Colts' starting defense carried plenty of importance. For several backups looking to solidify roles and/or roster spots, Thursday's opportunity mattered quite a bit.

The result – a 20-14 win – won't count for anything other than some good vibes on the ride home to Indianapolis. But with one eye on Sept. 8's season opener against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts went to work on Thursday against the Bengals' second-, third- and fourth-string offense and defense.

Quarterback Anthony Richardson and most of the first-team offense played 25 snaps over their five possessions, with the first one a crisp 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell catching his first (preseason) touchdown in the NFL. Richardson completed seven of eight passes for 65 yards, with his only miss going off tight end Drew Ogletree's fingertips in the end zone before he found Mitchell for a nine-yard score.

Things took a turn on the Colts' second offensive possession, with Richardson and tight end Kylen Granson not syncing up on a stop route and Bengals safety Jordan Battle turning the throw into a pick-six.

The Colts' first-team offense gained 24 yards on their final 13 plays. A promising final drive, sparked by a 26-yard completion from Richardson to Granson, stalled when Bengals defensive end Justin Blazek strip-sacked the Colts' quarterback (the fumble was recovered by Quenton Nelson for an eight-yard loss).

Richardson finished his evening with eight completions on 14 passes for 86 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Wide receiver Alec Pierce and Mitchell both caught a pair of passes, with Pierce gaining a first-team-offense-high 31 yards.

The Colts' first-team defense smothered the Bengals' backup offense, which started third-string quarterback Logan Woodside. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and defensive end Laiatu Latu mauled their way into the pocket and generated a drive-ending sack on the Bengals' first possession (Latu alone was credited with the sack).

The Bengals' moved the ball on a screen and roughing the passer penalty on their next possession, but a third down blitz forced a one-on-one deep ball toward cornerback Jaylon Jones, whose tight coverage on wide receiver Jermaine Burton forced a drive-ending incompletion. Cincinnati went three-and-out on their final offensive possession against the Colts' first-team defense, which held the Bengals to seven yards on five carries.

Sam Ehlinger, Jason Bean and Kedon Slovis quarterbacked the Colts' offense after Richardson left the game (veteran Joe Flacco did not play).

Undrafted rookie kicker Spencer Shrader connected on a 53-yard field goal to give the Colts a 10-7 lead early in the third quarter. Bean punched in a one-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, which finished a 13-play, 92-yard scoring drive, and Shrader added a 41-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter. Running back Demetric Felton had an exclamation point with a 40-yard touchdown run with about a minute and a half to go.