The Indianapolis Colts have claimed a slender 13-10 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals at the halfway stage of their playoff clash at the Lucas Oil Stadium.
It was the Colts who reached the endzone first early in the game as Andrew Luck led the hosts forward before stepping aside to allow Daniel Herron to force his way over from two yards.
The Bengals refused to allow the Colts defense to enjoy complete superiority over them again, though, and Jeremy Hill levelled the score at 7-7 by powering over from a yard out late in the opening quarter.
An early drive in the third quarter for the Colts was stopped at third down, but Adam Vinatieri managed to split the posts with his field goal to restore the lead.
Luck appeared to be on the brink of being sacked during his next spell in possession before a hopeful pass was impressively caught by Hakeem Nicks, whose effort allowed Vinatieri to make it 13-7 with another field goal.
There was still time in the first half for more drama as Cincinnati kicker Mike Nugent struck the post on his way to converting a 57-yard field goal, the second longest in NFL post-season history.
Callum Mulvihill
