Bengals sack Colts, 35-7; Now await final cuts

Though the Bengals were without most of their starters, it was still good to see the backups annihilate the Colts in their final preseason game. After a sloppy first half saw Cincinnati leading 7-0 at halftime, special teams and the defense took control of the contest.

Dane Sanzenbacher got it started with his 77-yard punt return for a score, followed by a pick-6 by backup safety Danieal Manning. That put Cincinnati up 21-0.

Early in the fourth quarter, The Bengals took a 28-0 lead after Tyler Wilson threw to Cobi Hamilton on a quick-hitter that Hamilton made a Colts defender miss before turning up field and out-racing the Colts defense for the 50-yard score. The Colts would later break through when Da'Rick Rogers caught a 7-yard score from Chandler Harnish, but the Bengals answered with a quick 5-play, 37-yard drive that ended in a James Wilder 2-yard TD run.

Onterio McCalebb's 59-yard kick return out to midfield set up the short field, and likely secured his spot on the practice squad. He also had a nice pass breakup in the fourth quarter.

The MVP of the game was defensive end Margus Hunt, who registered three sacks, a tackle for loss, and several more QB pressures and hits. He was terrorizing Harnish for seemingly every snap he was on the field, and his presence was a big reason why Indy's offenses was nonexistent.

The Bengals finish the preseason 2-2. The team will await final roster cuts, which must be completed by 6:00 p.m. ET Saturday night.