The Indianapolis Colts have secured their progress in the playoffs with a 26-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Daniel Herron handed the early advantage to the Colts by powering into the endzone from two yards out after Andrew Luck had led the hosts forward on their opening drive.

Andy Dalton was left frustrated for long spells of the opening quarter as the Bengals struggled to make progress until Jeremy Hill burst through a gap to score the touchdown for Cincinnati.

The Bengals defence made life difficult for Luck before the half-time interval, but the Colts quarterback was backed up impressively by Adam Vinatieri, who scored two field goals to extend the lead.

However, the lead would be reduced with 10 seconds remaining in the first half when Bengals kicker Mike Nugent struck the post on his way to converting a 57-yard field goal.

Indianapolis dealt a blow to Cincinnati by dominating in the third quarter, with Luck making a key contribution with a 36-yard pass to Donte Moncrief for his side's second touchdown.

Vinatieri then took his tally to four field goals with a routine effort before following Nugent's example with a successful kick from over 50 yards.

The Bengals were unable to stage a late comeback as the Colts defense held firm to set up a meeting with the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field, where they suffered a 31-24 defeat in the regular season.