INDIANAPOLIS -- Jacoby Brissett got sacked last Sunday -- 10 times, to be exact. He got hit an additional eight times.

And after each hit, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback got back up. Sometimes it took longer than others, but Brissett managed to get off the ground each time.

The Colts talked about taking Brissett out of the game. They came so close that backup Scott Tolzien had his helmet on and was warming up on the sidelines in the fourth quarter of their 27-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Brissett had no interest in being taken out.

“I’m the quarterback,” he said. “I can’t come out.”

Brissett said earlier this week that “you’ve got to pull me off on a stretcher for me not to get up.” But how long can Brissett continue to take the pounding?

Getting sacked 10 times and hit a total of 18 times doesn’t only take a physical toll on a player. It affects him psychologically, too, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a second-year player like Brissett or a veteran like Tom Brady. The Colts can't afford to have Brissett playing timidly, worried about from which direction he'll get hit next.

“I don’t think he’s the type of guy who from a mental standpoint and a mental-toughness standpoint will be affected by it,” Colts offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said. “That’s the first time he’s really experienced that, and I think he realizes and has learned from that and understands that there’s a sense of urgency, there’s anticipation, there’s getting the ball out. And you’re going to be in those games sometimes during the course of your career where you’re taking some hits and taking some sacks, and being able to get through that time.”

The task won’t be much easier for Brissett, the offensive line or the entire offense when the Colts take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Bengals have the NFL's fifth-ranked defense and have recorded 18 sacks through six games.

“They do a great job of stopping the run and getting you in passing situations, and then they can pressure the quarterback,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “They can pressure with four; they can add a linebacker. They’ve got really good man and zone blitz schemes that they can affect your quarterback with. We’re going to have to do a great job in that area.”

Brissett got off to a solid start when he took over for Tolzien in Week 2. But his 136 yards passing against the Jaguars was a season low for him in six starts. But unlike receiver T.Y. Hilton, Brissett didn’t blame the offensive line for the lack of production last weekend.

Brissett, like Andrew Luck before, pointed the finger at himself, saying he needs to do a better job of getting rid the ball quicker. Brissett’s right about that, because you can expect the Bengals to put plenty of pressure on him, especially if Cincinnati gets ahead early and forces the Colts into obvious passing situations. Brissett can’t afford to squander opportunities to make defenses pay for blitzing.

“[I] missed some guys sometimes [against Jacksonville],” Brissett said. “When you play against a good defense, you can’t miss those opportunities. They only give you so many, so you’ve got to make them count.”

There has to be confidence and trust for Brissett to succeed, because the blitzes will keep coming and coming until the Colts prove that they can block up front. He has to have confidence he can make the throws under pressure. And there has to be trust between Brissett and his intended targets. Those things take time, and it’s easy to forget that Brissett is in only his eighth week with the Colts.

“I think he’s learning every week,” Chudzinski said. “And I think this last game was a great learning experience for him. I’ve seen a difference in him in practice this week playing against the defense in those situations where they know you’re throwing the ball. You have to get it out and anticipate and play that way. So I think that those experiences you see him learning from, and that’s what’s encouraging, the signs that are encouraging to me.”