Bengals vs Colts: 5 best highlights from Bengals final preseason game

With the preseason wrapped up, it's time for a look at the Bengals' five best highlights from their 9-6 win over the Colts. While the final score suggests there weren't many plays to get excited about, there were plenty of highlights on the defensive side of the ball.

Let's take a look:

5) Floyd Raven ends game and preseason

With the Bengals leading 9-6 in the closing minutes, the Colts had the ball with one last chance to drive for the game-tying score and extend the preseason. However, safety Floyd Raven would ensure that the torment would end after picking off Bryan Bennett to seal the win:

@mbpRivals @TexAgs Ags stealing balls in the NFL! #FloydRaven pic.twitter.com/C64MvKWDgw

— Kim (@KimbroniTri) September 4, 2015

4) McCarron escapes to thread needle into Kroft

AJ McCarron didn't have a great night as he and the Bengals offense could only muster up six points with him in the game. However, McCarron did have a few nice plays, the best of which may be his escape from pressure on this play before threading a needle right into Tyler Kroft with a defender inches away from batting the ball away:

3) Dawson bursts through for sack

P.J. Dawson has had an amazing preseason, and he capped it off with a two-sack performance Thursday night. Here's one of them on a play in which Dawson shed his man to plant the Colts QB into the ground:

Dawson takes the inside on a cross blitz. Stays skinny through the hole for a free shot at the QB & an easy sack pic.twitter.com/3wVtRLl6KZ

— Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) September 4, 2015

2) Chris Carter & Marcus Hardison combine for strip sack

Chris Carter has been a force this preseason as a nickel pass-rusher, a role rookie Marcus Hardison has also thrived in. That was evident on this play when Carter blew past his man to get the strip-sack with Hardison recovering the fumble:

Carter finished the preseason with four sacks while Hardison had one. Those two will hopefully upgrade a Bengals' pass rush that finished dead last in sacks last year.

1) Tate with the stiff-arm of the preseason

Brandon Tate catches a lot of flack for not being a more explosive returner while also offering nothing as a receiver, at least in the regular season. As he does every year though, Tate looked good in training camp and the preseason, and his best play so far this year came with this stiff-arm of a Colts defender as he rumbled down the field for a 48-yard gain on a nice pass from McCarron: