Five Things Learned: Colts-Bengals (2020, Week 6)

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» RED HOT RIVERS: After falling in a 21-0 hole, the Colts needed to score points — and fast — to get back into the ballgame on Sunday against the Bengals. Fortunately, their veteran quarterback was more than happy to oblige. In fact, Philip Rivers got the heavy lifting out of the way with a second quarter for the ages, completing 14-of-21 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns in the period; his 235 passing yards were the third most in a quarter in franchise history, trailing only Peyton Manning (247 in 2004) and Dan Orlovsky (240 in 2011), according to ESPN's Mike Wells. That allowed Indy to go into halftime trailing by just three, 24-21, and from there, with the Colts' defense stepping up its play, Rivers was able to deliver a couple more crucial drives; on the first play of the fourth quarter, he found a diving Jack Doyle for a 14-yard touchdown to give Indy its first lead of the day, 28-27, and then the Colts would drive just short of the red zone with time ticking in the fourth quarter, getting close enough for Rodrigo Blankenship to nail a 40-yard field goal with 4:07 left to secure a four-point win. Rivers finished the game completing 29-of-44 passes for 371 yards with three touchdowns to one interception, and is a nominee for the FedEx Air Player of the Week award. "Philip was in the zone," Reich said. "You could feel it, you could see it, and I just felt like any pass we were going to call, he was going to find a way to get a completion and make plays."


» BURTON, JOHNSON KEY: Philip Rivers was on fire, for sure, but he also needed his receivers to step up in a big way. Several Colts pass catchers did just that, but perhaps none better than tight end Trey Burton and wide receiver Marcus Johnson. Burton, playing in his third game with the Colts after spending the first three weeks of the season on injured reserve with a calf injury, finished with four receptions for 58 yards and a 10-yard touchdown reception; he also added a one-yard rushing touchdown for Indy's first points early in the second quarter. Johnson, meanwhile, was Rivers' top target down the field, as he finished with five receptions for 108 yards — an average of 21.6 yards per catch. Johnson had spent the previous weeks on the Colts' practice squad before being called up the day before the game, but is now officially a member of the 53-man roster, and rewarded the team with his second-career 100-yard receiving performance. "We know who he is, we know he has the ability to make plays for us. He's done it for us. We have a lot of confidence in him. He's a true pro. He's unselfish and I'm just really happy for Marcus," Reich said of Johnson. "I'm obviously happy for our team, but he's such a good dude, such a great teammate. This has really been his chance to shine, and he's taken advantage of the opportunity."