Colts Gab

As I have said on more than one occasion in reference to the Indianapolis Colts, they find new and creative ways to win each and every week. Some weeks, it is Peyton Manning and his arm, some weeks it’s their secondary, while sometimes they come from behind. The Colts didn’t have to rely on a 300-yard game from Manning or a comeback attempt during Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium; instead, they more or less played “keepaway” with the ball, allowing Indianapolis to tie an NFL record with their 21st consecutive win, in this case a 27-17 decision over Tennessee.

The Colts started things by going on a 75-yard drive, capped by a 8-yard Joseph Addai touchdown run, taking a 7-0 lead; after a 20-yard foeld goal by kicker Rob Bironas, Indianapolis drove 77 yards down the field over nearly 4 minutes with Addai hitting paydirt on a 1-yard run, boosting the Colts’ advantage to 14-3. Although the Colts failed to cash in on the Titans’ first turnover, Manning would capitalize as he threw a 4-yard TD pass to Austin Collie, padding the Colts’ lead further at 21-3.

Tennessee finally got back in the game on a 6-yard Vince Young-to-Kenny Britt TD pass, narrowing their deficit to 21-10. With no time left in the third quarter, Matt Stover connected on a 43-yard FG, giving the Colts a 24-10 cushion; Stover would put the nail in the Titans’ coffin as he converted a 36-yard FG with 3:14 left in the game, icing the victory for Indianapolis.

Manning had a decent outing for the Colts, going 24-for-37 for 270 yards with a touchdown while Young went 24-of-43 for 241 yards with 2 TD’s and an INT. Addai led the Colts rushing attack with 79 yards on 21 carries and 2 TD’s while Chris Johnson led Tennessee with 27 carries for 113 yards.

Pierre Garcon led all Colts receivers with 6 receptions for 136 yards while Reggie Wayne caught 4 for 48 yards; Bo Scaife led the Titans receivers with 5 receptions for 56 yards and a TD while Britt caught 3 passes for 46 yards and a score. Indianapolis (12-0) goes for win number 13 and a NFL-record 22nd win when they host the Denver Broncos next Sunday while Tennessee (5-7) returns home to host the St. Louis Rams – also next Sunday.

At the risk of sounding biased (after all, I am a 35 year+ fan of the Indianapolis Colts), the team from the Midwest is off to one of its best starts ever, despite the fact that they have a marginal running game, at best. Although the season is 5 games old, I cannot determine the reasons for the Colts’ success, except for Peyton Manning’s amazing numbers.

Nonetheless, the Colts had a game to play against a Tennessee Titans squad that is removed from last year’s 13-3 team. And interestingly enough, the current Tennessee squad isn’t much different than the one from last season. Same team, same head coach – it is hard to figure out what happened to them. Anyways, the Colts visited LP Field Sunday in a matchup between an undefeated and a winless team.

From what I observed during the nationally televised game, I have no idea what happened to the Titans. Granted, the Titans didn’t rush for 100 or more yards against the Colts (90 tonight), but I can say with a fair amount of certainty that Peyton Manning’s effort – three touchdowns – made the Titans chances of winning minimal, at best. Manning’s 3 TD passes along with a anemic offensive performance by the Titans allowed Indianapolis to continue their domination as they destroyed Tennessee 31-9.

The first quarter was actually competitive as Tennessee kicker Rob Bironas’ two field goals – 49 and 43 yards – kept the Titans to within 7-6 after one quarter. The second quarter was actually the Peyton Manning quarter as he led the Colts on a pair of drives, of which they would score twice – once on a 1-yard TD run by Joseph Addai and a Manning-to-Austin Collie TD pass of 39 yards which would pad the Colts’ lead at 21-9, a lead they would take into halftime.

Manning and Collie would hook up again on a 6-yard TD pass, increasing the Colts’ cushion to 28-9; Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri’s 23-yard FG with 7:32 reamining in the game would effectively put the Titans away foir good.

Vince Young did make an appearance for the Titans late in the game, although he did go 0-for-3. Manning yet again had a great efort, going 36-for-44 for 309 yards with 3 TD’s and an interception while Kerry Collins had another mediocre game, going 19-for-32 for 164 yards with an interception.

Neither team stood out in the rushing department as Addai rushed 14 times for 27 yards with a score while the Titans’ LenDale White rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries. Collie led all Colts receivers with 97 yards on 8 receptions and 2 TD’s while Dallas Clark caught 9 passes for 77 yards; Reggie Wayne grabbed six passes for 60 passes in a supporting role.

Tight end Bo Scaife led the Titans receiving corps with 4 receptions for 45 yards while Nate Washington caught three passes for 37 yards. Indianapolis (5-0) will now rest as it goes into its bye week and will not play again as they travel to St. Louis to face the Rams on October 25 while Tennessee (0-5) flies to Foxboro, MA to take on the New England Patriots next Sunday.

After a rainy home triumph over the Titans, the Chargers head indoors to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Colts Sunday at the RCA Dome.  The Bolts rallied from a 6-0 halftime deficit with 17 unanswered points to earn their first postseason win since January of 1995.  Philip Rivers passed for 292 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as San Diego slipped past Vince Young and Tennessee 17-6 at home.  Now the Bolts hit the road to face the polished Peyton Manning.  San Diego has won seven straight games, including its last three on the road.  Indianapolis is coming off a first-round bye after winning the AFC South title with a 13-and-3 mark.  The Colts will be looking to avenge a 23-21 Week 10 loss at San Diego in which Manning threw a career-high six interceptions.  Indy fell behind 23-0 in the second quarter, but still had a chance to win when Adam Vinatieri pushed a 29-yard field goal wide right with 1:31 to play.  To compliment Manning and the passing game, Joseph Addai has rushed for more than 15-hundred yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

Chris Brown scored a touchdown and Rob Bironas booted three field goals to boost the Titans into the playoffs with a 16-10 win over the Colts at the RCA Dome.  Kerry Collins replaced injured quarterback Vince Young and led three field goal drives for Tennessee, which won its final three games to finish 10-and-6 and beat out Cleveland for the final AFC wild card berth.  The Titans will take on the Chargers in San Diego next Sunday.  Young was 14-of-18 for 157 yards, but hobbled off with a leg injury in the third quarter.  Collins came on to complete 10-of-13 passes for 106 yards in the win.  Peyton Manning finished 14-of-16 for 95 yards before being pulled in the second quarter for Indianapolis.  Manning set a record by eclipsing 4,000 yards passing for the eighth time in his career.  The Colts, who had already earned a first-round bye, finished the season 13-and-3 and are the second seed in the AFC.