Bengals top Colts in preseason finale, 9-6

INDIANAPOLIS — There wasn't excitement. There weren't touchdowns. There was nearly overtime. But the preseason ended Thursday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, and a Bengals team focused on landing in Oakland healthy can say it accomplished its goal.

Nearly all of the Bengals' starters stood on the sideline watching the final four quarters of the preseason wilt away while the rest of the Cincinnati roster made one final push to make the final cut or land on the practice squad in what mercifully concluded in a 9-6 Bengals victory.

Scoring summary, stats:Bengals 9, Colts 6

Marvin Lewis viewed the first half as a mixed bag.

"Anytime they don't score on you, I guess you have to say it was a pretty good half," he said. "But we had a couple of penalties that were disappointing. You know I'm always going to get on them about the penalties. Offensively, I liked the way our receivers were catching the ball on a couple of our drives. We had some good opportunities to run the ball, but we've got to finish those plays as much as we can."

All attention shifts to the roster trimming to 53 by 4 p.m. Saturday with players like wide receiver Greg Little and defensive tackle Devon Still wondering if their final impressive showings against the Colts were enough to make the difference.

These 60 minutes of football played out more like a boring death march to the end of the preseason, but a few standout performances could affect this weekend's moves.

Little, fighting for a spot in the back of a crowded receiver room, made two more leaping catches to top off an impressive preseason campaign for the veteran. The two receptions both required going airborne in traffic and covered 34 yards. He'll wait patiently over the weekend wondering if this was enough to keep him off the chopping block as the Bengals choose between five and six receivers.

Meanwhile, tough decisions looming on the defensive line meant Still played a full game up front along with Margus Hunt and Will Clarke. Still recorded a sack, but it was nullified due to Chris Carter lining up in the neutral zone.

Still played well the final three games of the preseason, but it remains to be seen if that was enough to complete his uphill climb in the loaded defensive line battle. Carter's breakout preseason concluded with another signature moment, earning a sack-fumble in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning Mike Nugent field goal. He led the Bengals in sacks this preseason with 3.5.

Meanwhile, Chris Lewis-Harris made a final push to hang on at cornerback at the center of two interceptions. The first, he caught a pass tipped by linebacker Trevor Roach to set up a Nugent field goal. The second came in the end zone when his pass breakup allowed safety Shiloh Keo to pull down an interception.

The final snaps of the preseason for AJ McCarron weren't as impressive as his showing with the first team against the Bears, but he was able to lead two field goal drives compiling a 6-3 advantage when he exited early in the fourth quarter.

McCarron finished the night 15 of 28 for 219 yards without a touchdown or interception. Much of his night was tough to judge behind a struggling offensive line that allowed four sacks.

Concerns surrounding the reserve offensive line creeping up throughout the preseason weren't silenced Thursday. Most importantly, second-round pick Jake Fisher struggled for a second consecutive game. The worst play of the night involved being beat by Colts fourth-string lineman Earl Okine for a sack-fumble on McCarron.

After a debut last week that saw him hit with three penalties, he also added a false start Thursday.

Though the majority of the starters watched from the sideline, second-year center Russell Bodine took part in the first two series of the game despite being surrounded by the second string. Whether or not a message, nobody wants to be the lone starter on the field with the backups.

Undrafted running back Terrell Watson, who led the Bengals in rushing with 16 carries for 93 yards entering the finale, hurt himself in a practice squad battle with James Wilder - fumbling and dropping another pass. Wilder rushed six times for 37 yards.

Third-round pick P.J. Dawson continued to make flash plays in his first full game of action. He took only 49 snaps on defense through the first three games, but played from start to finish. The TCU product finished the game with a team-high nine tackles, two sacks, two quarterback hits and one tackle for loss.

The Bengals finish the preseason with a 3-1 record and now head to the opener in Oakland on Sept. 13 in search of their fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs.