INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts (0-1) opened up their 2018 regular season today with a 34-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Here are updates from today's contest.
FOURTH QUARTER
— Touchdown, Bengals. Running back Joe Mixon dives in from a yard out. Cincinnati leads 24-23 with 11:07 left in the fourth quarter. Seven plays — plus three defensive penalties — on that drive for the Bengals.
— Randy Bullock hits the 39-yard field goal to put the Bengals up 27-23 with 3:57 left in the 4Q. Matthias Farley was so close to blocking that thing.
— With the Colts driving one final time and clock running out, Andrew Luck, on 3rd and 15 from the Cincinnati 30-yard line, finds Jack Doyle for what looked to be a first-down conversion. Doyle fumbles, however, and the ball is scooped up by the Bengals' Clayton Fejedelem, who runs it 83 yards into the end zone for a touchdown.
— Final score: Bengals 34, Colts 23.
THIRD QUARTER
— Margus Hunt earns the first Colts sack of the season, taking Andy Dalton down for a big loss on second down on their first drive of the second half. Hunt was perhaps a surprise starter coming out of training camp, but he's definitely proven to be solid in the run game, while improving as a pass rusher, too.
— INJURY UPDATE: Cornerback Chris Milton is being evaluated for a concussion. He is soon ruled out for the remainder of the game.
— Quick slant by T.Y. Hilton, who hauls in a five-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Luck with 8:13 left in the third quarter, and the Colts lead the Bengals, 23-10. Defending that play one-on-one seems impossible, and Luck was able to exploit the matchup.
— Andy Dalton with a beautiful pass to A.J. Green, who lays out in the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. Colts' lead cut to 23-17 with 4:09 left in the third quarter.
— Vinatieri can't connect on the 55-yard attempt; the low line drive goes just under the crossbar. Bengals take over at their own 45, trailing 23-17, with 12 seconds left in the third quarter.
— At the end of the third quarter, the Colts lead the Bengals, 23-17.
SECOND QUARTER
— Andrew Luck finds his newest tight end Eric Ebron for a 26-yard touchdown pass to put the Colts ahead 10-3 with 12:02 left in the second quarter. It was a seven-play, 58-yard drive that took 3:02 off the clock. Ebron broke wide open down the right sideline, moving past linebacker Jordan Evans, and Luck delivered a perfect pass for his first touchdown pass since 2016.
— Adam Vinatieri with the 38-yard field goal, and the Colts lead 13-3 with 3:01 left in the second quarter. Twelve-play, 58-yard drive that took 6:23 off the clock.
— Bengals go 75 yards in five plays, aided by a defensive pass interference call on Colts cornerback Quincy Wilson, to get into the end zone with a three-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to John Ross. Colts' lead cut to three, 13-10, with 1:44 left in the second quarter.
— Vinatieri is money from 51 yards out. Colts take a 16-10 lead with 2 seconds left in the second quarter.
— At halftime, the Colts lead the Bengals, 16-10.
FIRST QUARTER
— The Colts won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Receiving the opening kickoff, the Bengals didn't take long to give the ball up, however. On quarterback Andy Dalton's first pass attempt of the game, he immediately felt defensive tackle Al Woods in his face and had to rush a throw, which was picked off by cornerback Kenny Moore II, who returned it to the Cincinnati 7-yard line. What a way to start things out for the Colts.
— Well, that didn't last long. Quarterback Andrew Luck is rushed into an ill-advised pass attempt into traffic, and his picked off by linebacker Preston Brown at the 5-yard line. Luck, playing in his first regular season game since the 2016 finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars, was trying to find his tight end, Jack Doyle, on the rushed play.
— The Colts bring their NASCAR package on 3rd and 12 from the Indy 24-yard line, and the heavy rush from Kemoko Turay from the outside and Tarell Basham from the inside force an incomplete pass by Dalton. Bengals kicker Randy Bullock connects from 42 yards out to give them a 3-0 lead with 8:20 left in the first quarter.
— On 3rd and 7 from the Cincinnati 25-yard line, Luck takes off on a scramble and gets the first down, but is met with a fierce helmet-to-helmet hit by safety Shawn Williams, who is flagged for a personal foul and ejected from the game.
— The Colts show they're going for it on 4th and Goal from the 3-yard line, and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis calls a timeout. But Indy then sends its kicking team out on the field, and Adam Vinatieri nails a 21-yard field goal to tie the game at 3 with 1:23 left in the first quarter.
— Matthias Farley comes in to force the fumble on A.J. Green, and Darius Leonard is there to pick it up for the Colts' defense. Farley with a big-time punch to knock the ball out, and the Colts have their second takeaway of the first quarter. Four seconds remain.
— At the end of the first quarter, the Bengals and Colts are tied at 3.
