Bengals Embarrassed by Colts, 27-0

Oct 19, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis on the sidelines during the second quarter during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

In a game that left us all speechless, CBS left us sightless abandoning the game’s broadcast around the eight minute mark.  I’m not even sure what adjective to use to describe the game, so I’ll simply say they looked completely inept and haphazard throughout this embarrassing affair.

The Bengals seemed to lack any preparation as the game-planning was simply wrong.  The team lacked an ability to block on offense as Andy Dalton was under fire all afternoon and the running game could barely reach the offensive line.  The Bengals, who had given up just two sacks in their first six games, allowed the Colts to sack Dalton three times; frankly, it could’ve been much worse had Dalton not had his newfound pocket awareness and kept the ball as he has so often in the past.  The offense gained just 21 yards on its first nine possessions and earned just a single first down in the first half.  It was simply a pitiful performance from what has looked like a pretty capable group prior to this game.  After watching this game, it feels weird to refer to this team as “capable” in any facet.

Defensively, the Bengals lacked fire and any ability to shed blocks, even making the generally stiff Trent Richardson look awfully quick and capable.  To call them porous and lax feels like understatements as this defense was simply dominated.  And if it weren’t for a couple of fumbles, the final score could’ve been much worse.  Terence Newman’s effort on this play pretty much sums up both the Bengals’ defense and their performance as a whole.

As well as jokes like this…

Honestly I struggle to really sum up how poor this team was today.  They were historically bad.

On top of all this, Vontaze Burfict left the game with yet another head/neck injury on this play.

Leon Hall, Terence Newman, and Jayson DiManche also left the game at various points with injuries.

It’s a stunning turn of events as prior to the Bengals’ bye week (Week 4), this was a team that many called the “most talented team in the NFL.”  They were at the top of many power rankings (or at least in the top three) and looked like a Super Bowl contender. Since then, this team has seemingly and inexplicably collapsed.  They’ve looked completely out of sorts and have lacked any passion, determination, or fortitude.  It’ll be interesting to see how Marvin Lewis and this organization deal with this inexplicable collapse going forward.  Marvin Lewis summed up today with this comment.

But there was always the performance of Kevin Huber to be proud of.

Check out Stripe Hype for postgame and upcoming game analysis throughout the week.