Jake Browning shines again, leads Bengals to 34-14 win over Colts

Jake Browning threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in his second straight outstanding performance for the Cincinnati Bengals, who pounded the Indianapolis Colts 34-14 on Sunday.

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With Joe Burrow out for the season because of a wrist injury, Browning has kept the Bengals (7-6) in playoff contention. He followed up a 354-yard outing in a win at Jacksonville last Monday night by completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards with an interception against the Colts.

Indianapolis (7-6) had its four-game win streak snapped and its playoff positioning took a hit. Gardner Minshew threw for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Colts, whose offense stalled after halftime.

The game was tied at 14 at the break, but Indy’s first four second-half possessions ended with two punts, a pick thrown by Minshew and a failed fourth-down attempt.

Meanwhile, the Bengals scored on their first two drives of the second half — an 11-yard TD grab by Tanner Hudson and a 1-yard keeper by Browning.

Rookie running back Chase Brown had a 54-yard touchdown reception for the Bengals that opened the scoring. Brown grabbed a short pass out of the backfield and raced untouched down the right sideline, juking safety Rodney Thomas II at the 6-yard-line on the way to the end zone.

After Colts kicker Matt Gay bounced a 38-yard field goal attempt off the left upright, the Bengals scored again. Benefiting from two Indianapolis penalties, Cincinnati put together a 72-yard drive that Joe Mixon finished with a 1-yard TD plunge.

The Colts kept the ball for the next 8:22, and Minshew threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mo Alie-Cox.

Indianapolis needed just 25 seconds to score again. Browning’s off-target pass deflected off Hudson’s hand and directly to Colts linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr., who ran it back 36 yards for a TD.

Browning went to the locker room with muscle cramps in his throwing hand in the fourth quarter, but returned.

The Colts host the Steelers on Saturday. The Bengals host the Vikings on Saturday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.