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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Marvin Lewis expects his defense to play aggressively.
There is also a danger – as the Cincinnati Bengals discovered on Sunday.
They overcame Shawn Williams' safety ejection in the first quarter and three more personal fouls in the first game of the season to retain a 34-23 win after Williams's replacement released the ball and returned a breakaway of 83. yards. left at Indianapolis
"We can do a lot of things better. Too many penalties in critical situations, "said Lewis. "We did a good job all summer, and today that's what hurt us."
Williams was beaten in the first quarter after the helmet's contact with quarterback Andrew Luck, becoming the first player to be sent off this season.
The NFL has sent a clear message to players around the world that it intends to eliminate dangerous blows.
And for a while, it seemed that the Bengals would pay an exorbitant price with eight penalties, three of which resulted in first declines.
In one way or another, they managed to regain their composure, avoid defensive penalties in the fourth quarter and defeat Williams' defeat to win a run of eight losses at Indy.
Curiously, Williams 'substitute Clayton Fejedelem saved the match after Pro Bowl tight end Jack Doyle appeared to convert a third and 15th at the start by twisting his body around the Bengals' 15-yard line.
Instead, Fejedelem, the second defender of the game, gave a manual lesson by dropping the ball, picking it up quickly and sprinting along the sideline to get the final score.
"You do not have time to gasp or flinch," Lewis said. "You just have to keep playing."
The Colts also learned this lesson the hard way.
After taking a 23-10 lead midway through the third quarter, it appeared that the Colts could finally put an end to the problems of the second half of last season. This time, they got in trouble again.
A J. Green divided the two levels of safety of Indy – Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker – for a 38-yard take and after Adam Vinatieri's rare defeat on a 55-yard placement, the Bengals took advantage of the victory of Joe Mixon. drive. Indy was called for three defensive penalties in the second set, including an inexplicable pass call over Geathers on the third and 15th.
"I thought we played well, but the shootout finally killed us," said Colts defensive end Margus Hunt after scoring two sacks against his former team. "We have to keep playing football."
SECOND CHANCE
Doyle has been one of the most trusted Colts players in recent seasons.
The fumbling was out of character and his teammates quickly came to his defense, starting with luck.
"Jack cares about this game as much as any other player I've played with," he said. "He is an incredible person, an incredible teammate and he is a great friend. So you give him a big hug. He will be fine. It will be fine.
NEW OFFENSES
The Bengals and Colts have new offensive coordinators and reshaped offensive lines, and both have shown promising results after slow starts.
Andy Dalton and Luck were each caught during their first few passes in the afternoon before settling down and giving more typical performances.
The chance was 39 out of 53 with 319 yards and two touchdowns in his first regular season start since his shoulder surgery in January 2017. Dalton was 21 out of 28 with 243 yards and two scores.
Each one was fired twice.
GIVE IT
The Colts have lost seven lengths in half-time in 2017, falling to one game less than the NFL record.
And a change of coach did not help Indy find his final touch on Sunday. The Colts have awarded 24 points over the last 20 minutes, allowing the Bengals to spoil Luck's long-awaited comeback.
Hard grinding
While the passing games seemed to be synchronized, the ground games left something to be desired.
Mixon wore 17 times for 95 yards, but the Bengals had just three more rush attempts and ended up with 101 yards.
Indy, meanwhile, has relied heavily on rookies Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines for their professional debut. Wilkins wore 14 times for 49 yards, while Hines had five attempts for 19 yards and seven assists for 33 yards.
Both teams need to be more efficient on the field this season.
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