Sport

Indianapolis Colts beat Cincinnati Bengals 26-10 in AFC wildcard

Andrew Luck threw for 376 yards and one touchdown on 31 of 44 passing

Cincinnati Bengals running back player Rex Burkhead (left) is taken down by Indianapolis Colts safeties Mike Adams (centre) and LaRon Landry in the first half of their American football wild card play-off game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA
Cincinnati Bengals running back player Rex Burkhead (left) is taken down by Indianapolis Colts safeties Mike Adams (centre) and LaRon Landry in the first half of their American football wild card play-off game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA
Mon Jan 05 2015 - 01:01

Quarterback Andrew Luck led the Indianapolis Colts to a 26-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC wildcard game yesterday to set up a divisional round clash with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Luck, who was drafted to replace Manning at the Colts, threw for 376 yards and one touchdown on 31 of 44 passing in a game in which the Colts rarely looked in danger of losing.

The Bengals have not won a playoff game since the 1990 season and have now lost in the wildcard round for the past four years.

Cincinnati were without two of their main receivers with wideout AJ Green ruled out with concussion and tight end Jermaine Gresham missing with a back injury and without those targets quarterback Andy Dalton struggled.

Touchdown run

The Colts set the tone with the first drive of the game – the confident Luck marching 71 yards on nine plays ending with a two-yard touchdown run from back Dan Herron.

READ MORE

Cincinnati responded strongly with a one-yard run from Jeremy Hill finishing off a 74-yard drive from the visitors.

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri converted two field goals in the second quarter with Mike Nugent replying for the Bengals with a 57-yard kick that flew in off the post to hold the Indianapolis advantage at halftime to 13-10. Luck extended that lead in the third quarter with a superb 36-yard touchdown pass, on the run, to Donte Moncrief in the end zone.

The Colts thought they had another touchdown when Luck found Coby Fleener but a penalty for an illegal block in the back wiped out the score and Indianapolis settled for another field goal from the 42-year-old Vinatieri.The Bengals offence was unable to progress, failing to make a first down in the entire third quarter.

Another Vinatieri field goal, in the fourth, pushed the Colts well beyond a Bengals team that never looked capable of launching a comeback.

Battered

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, battered by the Baltimore Ravens pass rush in a 30-17 playoff defeat, put the blame for Saturday’s loss on his own shoulders and issued an apology. “Every time you turn the ball over it’s frustrating,” an emotional Roethlisberger told reporters after throwing a pair of interceptions in a wildcard loss at home that ended Pittsburgh’s season. “That’s why I want to apologise to the fans, to my team mates, to the organisation, the Rooneys [owners], the coaches. It’s frustrating and I wish I could apologise individually to everybody.”

Roethlisberger, winner of two Super Bowl titles with the Steelers, completed 31 of 45 passes for 334 yards but managed just one touchdown throw against a Ravens defence that grew stronger the closer the Steelers came to the end zone.

Roethlisberger posted career highs this season with 32 touchdown passes, a 67.1 completion percentage, and an average of 309.5 passing yards per game in leading the

NFL’s second-ranked offence to the AFC North title. But with brilliant running back Le’Veon Bell out with a hyperextended knee, the Steelers had trouble moving the ball on the ground and became one dimensional. The ferocious Ravens sacked Roethlisberger five times and sent the big quarterback to the sidelines late in the fourth quarter to be checked for a possible concussion after slamming his head on the turf after a hit.

Carolina Panthers

Meanwhile the Carolina Panthers scored twice in less than two minutes on Cam Newton touchdown passes in the third quarter and defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-16 in an error-ridden NFC wildcard playoff game on Saturday.

The Panthers overcame a 14-13 Arizona lead when Carolina quarterback Newton connected with Fozzy Whittaker on a 39-yard scoring play and then found Mike Tolbert for a one-yard touchdown after a Cardinals fumble on a kickoff return gave Carolina the ball at the Arizona 3. The victory was the fifth straight for the Panthers (8-8-1), who made the playoffs despite a losing record as the NFC South champions.

They will play at either the Seattle Seahawks or Green Bay Packers in the divisional round next weekend. Arizona (11-6), which has struggled after having its top two quarterbacks injured, lost its third consecutive game.