Final Score: Colts 27, Bengals 0

The Indianapolis Colts dominated the Cincinnati Bengals today at Lucas Oil Stadium, winning 27-0.  It's the team's first shutout since week 17 of 2008, and honestly the game wasn't even as close as the 27-point win indicates.

The defense completely dominated today.  They allowed just 1 of 13 third downs to be converted and 0 of 1 fourth downs, allowed just 135 total yards, racked up four sacks, and made several huge plays, preserving the shutout.  They opened the game by forcing eight straight three and outs, and they didn't really let up much from there.  The Colts' defense was easily the story of the day for the Colts.

The offense stalled a bit in the first half, but they got it going some and ended up playing a very good football game, racking up over 500 yards of offense.  Here are some initial notes from the game:

• This defense was phenomenal today.  The corners - Vontae Davis and Greg Toler - played great.  Cory Redding and the defensive line looked very good.  The linebackers made several great plays (Jerrell Freeman looked good).  The safeties played well.  Bjoern Werner continues to really impress.  Overall, everyone on the defense looked good today and they completely dominated the game.
• The Bengals were just 1-for-13 on third downs today.  In the last four games, the Colts defense (the number one defense in the NFL on third down) has allowed just 4 conversions on 42 attempts.  That's incredible.
• Bjoern Werner has recorded a sack in four consecutive games right now.  He's really stepped up and looks good.  That's a very encouraging thing for the Colts.
• Another game, another 300+ yard passing day for Andrew Luck.  He tied Peyton Manning's franchise record with his fifth-consecutive 300 yard passing game.  Luck finished with 344 yards passing, 2 touchdowns and no picks while completing 64% of his passes.
• The Colts racked up over 500 yards of total offense.  They allowed just 135 to an offense that coming into the game was ranked fifth in the league in terms of yards per game.
• Ahmad Bradshaw looked great again today, scoring two touchdowns - one both rushing and passing.  He now has six receiving touchdowns on the season.  The negative, however, was  a red zone fumble early in the game.
• Trent Richardson looked better than I've ever seen him as a Colt.  He rushed 14 times for 77 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and caught 4 passes for 41 yards (118 total yards).  He too lost a fumble, but he looked very good overall today.
• Along those lines, we also must credit the Colts' offensive line for their run blocking - they were creating some great holes and rushing lanes for the running backs (although I'm happy to see T-Rich take advantage of them).  The Bengals run defense is among the worst in the league, but still credit the Colts big time for executing in run blocking and in running.
• The Colts pass blocking, however, wasn't that good.  Gosder Cherilus especially continued his terrible season, but it wasn't just him.  This was probably the most pressure that Andrew Luck has had in a game all season.
• Right now, the huge concern is Reggie Wayne.  The Colts were very, very intentional about extending his streak of 3+ catch games to 78 in a row, but he's obviously injured.  He suffered a scary looking arm/shoulder injury early in the game and, while he came back in, never looked the same - including dropping two wide open passes.  He would often grab that injured arm.  It's definitely a concern right now, and hopefully Reggie is ok.
• The Colts extended their winning streak to five consecutive games and are now 5-2 on the year.  This Colts team is absolutely for real, folks.