Cincinnati quickly re-gained the lead after halftime with wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase notching explosive receptions before running back Joe Mixon ripped off an 18-yard run. Browning found Hudson for a touchdown on the next play.
After the Colts’ ensuing drive stalled, the Bengals again struck with an 11-play, 71-yard drive sparked by a 46-yard deep strike to Higgins. Browning punched in a goal-to-go touchdown on a sneak to put Cincinnati up by two scores late in the third quarter.
The Colts fell behind by three scores when wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie muffed a punt, with the Bengals recovering at the Colts’ 12-yard line early in the fourth quarter and followed that turnover with a short field goal.
A holding penalty assessed to left guard Quenton Nelson wiped a fourth quarter Zack Moss touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and Minshew had a pass slip out of his hands and into the waiting arms of Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill for an in interception shortly after.
The loss dropped the Colts to 7-6 and was their largest margin of defeat in the 2023 season. Both the Cleveland Browns and Bengals now own head-to-head tiebreakers over the Colts, and the loss dropped the Colts to 5-4 against AFC opposition, which is the second tiebreaker used to determine playoff spots and seeding.
