Neither of the NFL's Pro Bowl passers got onto the field Friday night, leaving it to the reserves to generate some points and excitement. Neither came easily during the Cincinnati Bengals' 14-6 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Both head coaches treated it more like a nuisance.

"It's a game where we want to keep that clock moving," Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis said. "That's a point of emphasis."

Palmer didn't even wear a brace on his surgically reconstructed left knee, knowing he wouldn't play. The Pro Bowl MVP did put on the rest of his gear — even wore his helmet — and made a few throws while the Bengals (1-3) warmed up.

At least Palmer dressed for the occasion. Super Bowl MVP Manning got an out-of-uniform day. Manning wore a visor, a white-and-blue Colts polo shirt and jeans. He stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and stood at the 40-yard line while the Colts (1-3) stretched before the game, making small talk with the equipment crew.

Both quarterbacks left the stadium without giving interviews.

In a slight break with recent tradition, coach Tony Dungy played five of his defensive starters and one on offense — rookie left tackle Tony Ugoh — in the opening series. In the last couple years, Dungy used no more than two of his starting players in the final preseason game, wanting to avoid injury.

"It was a downer not to win it, but we got to see a lot of things we wanted to," Dungy said. "We came out of the preseason the way we wanted to. It's a short turnaround now. I would have liked more time for it."

The Colts open their season Thursday night in Indianapolis against the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees, who led the league in passing last season.

"We're ready to do it for real now," said cornerback Marlin Jackson, who had an interception. "We feel like we're ready to go."

There was only one noteworthy injury on Friday night. Bengals kicker Aaron Elling evidently tore a ligament in his right knee trying to make a tackle on the second-half kickoff. Elling was taken off the field on a cart, leaving the Bengals without a kicker.

Elling was brought in Wednesday, two days after Shayne Graham bruised his right hip while trying to make a tackle against the Atlanta Falcons. The Bengals expect Graham back for the season opener Sept. 10 against Baltimore, but could sign another kicker as a precaution.

When Quincy Wilson ran 5 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, punter Kyle Larson made the extra point. He made another after linebacker Caleb Miller returned a fumble 46 yards for another score.

The Bengals rested right tackle Willie Anderson, who returned to practice this week. Anderson had been sidelined throughout training camp with a painful right foot that clouds his chance of starting the opener.

Left tackle Levi Jones, who missed most of training camp while recovering from knee surgery, played in his second consecutive preseason game and complained afterward that he hasn't been getting enough time in practice.

"I don't know what's going on," Jones said. "I'm being thrown into games without much practice time. Who wants to go to into a game unprepared?"

Most of the game was played between the 30-yard lines.

The Colts reached Cincinnati's 29 for the deepest drive of a scoreless first half. Doug Johnson threw interceptions on Cincinnati's first two drives, a reminder that Palmer needs to stay healthy for the Bengals to stay in playoff contention.

"I'm concerned about our quarterback play," Lewis said. "That's not good enough to win. There's a lot of reasons why. It's not all Doug Johnson's fault."

Jim Sorgi took Manning's spot and struggled to do much with reserves around him, going 19-of-33 for 150 yards.

The Colts didn't cross Cincinnati's 20-yard line until the closing minutes of the game, when Josh Betts threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Craphonso Thorpe. The game ended when Jonny Harline caught Betts' desperation pass at the 1-yard line and was tackled as time ran out.