By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer

CINCINNATI(AP) -- At least Peyton Manning dressed for the dreary
occasion.

Unlike two years ago, when the Indianapolis quarterback came to
Cincinnati and watched the final preseason game wearing a polo
shirt and jeans, he was in uniform on the sideline Thursday as
the Colts found out about his backup. Jim Sorgi gave a
reassuring performance, throwing for a touchdown before the
reserves took over, the game degenerated and the Bengals rolled
to a 38-7 victory.

These two teams have ended the preseason together for the last
seven years, watching their backups slog it out. Neither Manning
nor Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer left the sidelines
Thursday.

Sorgi missed most of training camp with a pulled right
hamstring. Rookie Curtis Painter impressed in his absence and
raised questions about which one of them would be Manning's
backup. In his only preseason appearance, Sorgi went 11 of 19
for 119 yards with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Taj Smith.

"I thought it was pretty solid," Sorgi said. "I got a little
winded out there but all in all, I thought I saw everything real
good and got us into the right plays. The hamstring responded
pretty well tonight."

First-year coach Jim Caldwell liked what he saw.

"He hasn't had much playing time," Caldwell said. "I thought he
found his way out there. He put a pretty good game together and
showed some flashes of what he can do."

Bengals backup quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan played only one
series, which ended with his 14-yard touchdown pass to Andre
Caldwell against a defense populated by reserves. After that,
the game belonged to the guys trying to make the rosters.

Former Colts coach Tony Dungy customarily sat his starters for
the last preseason game. In 2005, he rested all of his starters
except for two on defense, and the Bengals won 38-0. Caldwell
succeeded Dungy in January and took a page from his no-play
book. Defensive right tackle Ed Johnson and linebacker Phillip
Wheeler were the only Colts starters who played on Thursday.

Not much competition.

"You can't control who you play against," Bengals coach Marvin
Lewis said. "It was good to let our guys break a sweat and get
out there and go."

The only question for the Bengals was whether the trainers would
allow Palmer to play despite a sprained left ankle. Two hours
before the game, he knew he wasn't going to get the chance. He
worked out on an adjacent practice field, just him and a
trainer, doing a series of agility drills for the ankle. His
gray Bengals shirt was drenched with sweat.

Palmer dressed in his uniform for the game - a brace on his left
ankle bulged from under his white sock - and watched from the
sideline.

"It's a tease," Palmer said. "It's just good to know that I'm
that much closer. It's a week away. I'm excited."

He'll be heading into the season opener against Denver without
much of a preseason. Palmer suffered a moderate high-ankle
sprain in the first preseason game, then sat out the last three.
He didn't return to practice until this week. He threw only 11
passes in the preseason games.

The Bengals finished last in the league in offense in 2008, when
Palmer missed a dozen games because of an injured passing elbow.

NOTES: Colts rookie WR Jamie Petrowski hurt his left foot in the
first quarter and walked off the field. ... K Adam Vinaitieri
missed a 48-yard field goal attempt. ... Bengals RB Brian
Leonard, trying to win a roster spot, had the most impressive
play of the game. He was running at full speed and jumped over
DB Travis Key, who dived at his legs. ... RB DeDe Dorsey, also
trying to win a spot, blocked a punt and returned it 7 yards for
a touchdown. ... WR Chris Henry caught a touchdown pass in each
preseason game.