With the sleet holding off at sold-out Paul Brown Stadium, rookie running back Giovani Bernard skated to a career day while quarterback Andy Dalton navigated the 25-degree weather and the golden arm of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck with three touchdowns passes and one rushing score to help the Bengals stay unbeaten at Paul Brown Stadium in Sunday’s 42-28 victory.
The Bengals continued to dominate at home in extending their PBS-record winning streak to seven games and 6-0 this season in a game they scored at least 40 points in three straight home games for the first time in history. And they did it surviving just their second 300-yard passing game since Week 2 of 2012 when Luck matched Dalton’s four touchdown passes with 326 yards on 29-of 46-passing.
Wide receiver Brandon Tate added 153 yards in both return games, including a 43-yard punt return with 7:18 left that put the ball on the Colts 29 and gave the Bengals another chance to melt the clock with the run game like they did last week in San Diego, leading 35-21. And they did with five runs on the next six plays. On third-and-two from the Colts 8, Dalton bootlegged to his right and when he couldn’t find anyone open he cut it back to the middle and went in untouched to make it 42-21 with 4:02 left.
Dalton hit 24 of 35 passes for 275 yards for a passer rating of 120.5 while Bernard flirted with his first 100-yard game with 99 yards on 12 carries. He also had 49 yards on four catches. Dalton’s touchdown passes came to three different receivers, a 29-yarder to wide receiver Marvin Jones, a nine-yarder to wide receiver A.J. Green, and a one-yarder to tight end Jermaine Gresham. Jones also had a huge, tumbling 29-yard catch on a nice ball from Dalton on the left sideline on third-and-two at the Colts 11 that set up Green’s touchdown with 13:25 left in the game that made it 35-21.
Before 62,507 the 9-4 Bengals grabbed the all-important tiebreaker against the 8-5 Colts. As amazing as it sounds, the Bengals clinched nothing after dismantling the Colts and the Colts clinched the AFC South as they headed back home while Denver finished off Tennessee.
The Bengals moved past the Colts to take the lead for the AFC’s No. 3 seed. But the Miracle Patriots still hold a one-game lead for the No. 2 seed and the 7-6 Ravens are still in the AFC North chase, trailing the Bengals by two games with three to play after their own miracle against Minnesota.
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