INDIANAPOLIS -- A few thoughts on the Cincinnati Bengals' 27-0 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium:
What it means: It has been a real Jekyll and Hyde type of season for a team that started off 2014 looking like it might be booking a trip to Arizona for the Super Bowl. After the promising 3-0 start that had some -- including myself -- ranking the Bengals the No. 1 team in the NFL, they have gone winless in their past three games. A pair of losses and a tie have made them look like a dramatically different team than the one that took the field at the beginning of the season. Aside from the changes in record, the most drastic changes for the Bengals have been in the form of defensive play and third-down play on offense. Injuries in recent weeks to key players also have ransacked the entire team, making it even more difficult for Cincinnati to establish fluid game plans. This was Cincinnati's first shutout loss since Week 17 of 2009.
Stock watch: The stock in the Bengals' offense took a nose dive this week. Although the Bengals had issues on that side of the ball two weeks ago when they mustered only 17 points in the 26-point loss at New England, those issues paled in comparison to what Cincinnati showed this week on the road in Indianapolis. After seemingly getting their offense back on track in last week's 37-37 overtime tie with Carolina, the Bengals had no answers for the Colts. They went 1-for-13 on third down and only twice advanced the ball past the 50-yard line. While the Bengals got the ball into goal-line territory on that drive, they couldn't move the ball into the end zone. With just one third-down conversion, they averaged just 3.9 plays per drive.
Time-of-possession losers: In addition to losing Sunday's game, the Bengals lost the time-of-possession battle. A large part of why they did was they couldn't get their offense to generate third-down conversions. Their defense was on the field for a whopping 39:43. They lost the time-of-possession margin by more than 19 minutes, the biggest margin they've had this season.
Game ball: There's no need to even entertain the thought of awarding a game ball to anyone who had anything to do with the offensive side of the ball in Sunday's game. Defensively, however, defensive end Carlos Dunlap and cornerback Adam Jones were among those who could have earned consideration. Both recovered fumbles in the game. Dunlap also had a sack, and Jones had two pass breakups. Still, the Bengals' game ball deserves to go to punter Kevin Huber, who had a career-high 11 punts. He averaged 50.7 yards with a long of 63. He also had three punts inside the 20 and would have had another had one of his gunners not slid into the end zone as he downed a ball near the 1. Instead, Huber ended up with his first touchback of the year.
What's next: Cincinnati's last two road trips haven't fared well. The Bengals have been outscored 70-17 in those games. Maybe they'll be able to put those problems behind them these next three weeks, as they start a three-game stretch of games at Paul Brown Stadium. Up next for the 3-2-1 Bengals is division rival Baltimore. The Bengals beat the Ravens 23-16 on the road in Week 1. It was their only win outside of Cincinnati this season. The Bengals also are hopeful to get receiver A.J. Green back from a toe injury next week.