Dec 2, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Indianapolis Colts celebrate a game winning touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Colts won 35-33. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-US PRESSWIRE

Horseshoe Hero

Colts 35 - Lions 33

With just four seconds remaining on the game clock at Ford Field, quarterback Andrew Luck had just enough time to execute one more play in an attempt to bring his Colts back from a 5-point deficit. He took the snap, surveyed his surroundings, and threw a short pass to wide receiver Donnie Avery. Wide open, Avery ran through a hole in the Detroit defense and entered the end zone, sealing a dramatic comeback win for the Horseshoe. Down 33-21 with less than 7 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, “incredible” hardly begins to describe the victory for the Colts, who now control their own playoff destiny as the current leaders of the AFC Wildcard race.

Offense

Andrew Luck continues to rewrite the rookie record books. Luck is now the first quarterback drafted first over all to have a winning record in his first year with the team. Moreover, he became the first rookie to throw four 300-yard games, and he continued to add to his over all rookie passing yards record.

Luck actually threw 3 very bad picks on Sunday in Detroit, but his 4 touchdown passes and 391 passing yards more than made up for it. What sets Luck apart from other rookies is his ability to regroup after making poor decisions. He is virtually unaffected by defensive pressure and non-executed plays.

And Luck utilized all of his receivers. His 4 touchdown passes went to 3 different teammates: Donnie Avery, Coby Fleener, and LaVon Brazil. Fleener’s and Brazil’s scores were the firsts of their respective young careers, with Fleener’s stirring up memories of his and Luck’s partnership in college at Stanford. Fleener has been out the previous few weeks with a nagging shoulder injury. His production should only go up from here.

On the ground, Vick Ballard scored his first ever rushing score, running it in from 11 yards out early in the third quarter. Ballard easily had the most productive game of his career, rushing for 41 yards on just 9 carries.

Defense

The defense struggled, but they did just enough to allow the Colts to make their comeback late in the game. All things aside, who doesn’t have difficultly containing Calvin Johnson? The Lions wide receiver racked up 171 yards on the day due to some poor coverage from corners. Otherwise, though, the Colts defensive unit held their own. Robert Mathis recorded his first ever interception, and the group never let the Lions earn more than a field goal after a takeaway.

Special Teams

Adam Vinatieri was not needed for a single field goal on Sunday, but his 5 extra point attempts had no problem reaching the back center of the goal posts. Punter Pat McAfee, however, was much busier. He took the field 8 times on Sunday afternoon, and he averaged an impressive 50 yards per punt, which included a long 61-yarder.

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The Colts continue to downright astonish, and they will take their 8-4 record home next week when they face the Tennessee Titans for the second time this season. Horseshoe Hero will have the game recap for you then. Expect the unexpected.

Stay #CHUCKSTRONG, Colts fans!

Colts 23 - Vikings 20

Horseshoe Hero

The Colts needed just two games to get their first win of the regular season, surging ahead with mere seconds left on the clock to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in front of a sold out home crowd on Sunday afternoon. With a record of 1-1, the Colts are no longer the league’s statistically worst team. Although the effort was a bit scrappy, the Colts earned every bit of their hard-fought win, and quarterback Andrew Luck shined. In fact, many players left their marks on the field, on all sides of the ball.

Offense

It’s no secret Andrew Luck has the athletic ability to succeed in the NFL, but on Sunday, Luck proved that he also has the mental ability to be an elite NFL quarterback. If Luck had any negative memories from last week’s less-than-ideal debut, he erased them, and he played with poise, strength, and tenacity in his second start. Luck completed almost 65% of his passes, including two impressive touchdown tosses in the first half. In the first quarter, Luck accounted for 81 yards of an 80-yard, 13-play touchdown drive. He was consistent all afternoon and threw no interceptions – 3 fewer than last week. Luck is an analytical player, and he’s learning to cut through defenses very quickly. He was even the team’s second-leading rusher.

Donnie Avery, a free agent acquisition this offseason, was also pretty stellar in his second outing as a Colt. On the team’s first touchdown drive, he caught 3 passes for 65 yards, and on the day, he caught a team-high 9 receptions for 111 yards. It was tight end Dwayne Allen who earned the day’s first touchdown, though. Not only was it the rookie’s first ever score, but it was also his first ever reception. Reggie Wayne had a pretty 30-yard touchdown reception of his own in the end zone and was the team’s second-leading receiver with 6 receptions for 71 yards.

Although Luck was again under pressure for much of the game, the offensive line was much improved this week, especially since the team lost center Samson Satele early in the game to injury. Mike McGlynn took over and more than held his own, and Trai Essex, who signed with the Horseshoe just 6 days ago, stepped in to play at right guard – remarkable! The battered line was all heart.

Defense

The defense also stepped up their game this week. They held Adrian Peterson to just 60 yards and prevented the Vikings’ star running back from scoring a single touchdown – something that just does not happen very often. Cornerback Jerraud Powers led the team with 7 tackles, while Robert Mathis, Kavell Connor, and Jerry Hughes – yes, Jerry Hughes – were all credited with sacks. Hughes, who has struggled in recent seasons, seems to be thriving in the Colts’ new 3-4 defensive scheme. Jerrell Freeman, who ran an interception back for a touchdown last week against Chicago, forced a fumble this week, and Cory Redding recovered a fumble. Both are new to the Colts this year as well.

Special Teams

The special teams players were the real heroes on Sunday. Adam Vinatieri, who missed his only field goal attempt last week, saved the day by kicking the game winner – a 53 yarder – with just 8 seconds remaining in the game. All 5 of his kicks (3 FG, 2 PAT) sailed perfectly through the uprights. Pat McAfee – who I’ve since learned has read this column (Thank you, Mr. McAfee!) – kept up his stellar play as well and even upped his game from last week, averaging 53.6 yards on 5 punts. His net punting average was 43.4.

The Colts played like a real team unit – a winning one, at that – on Sunday. I look forward to the great things in store for them, especially when they get some players back from injury, like Dwight Freeney, Austin Collie, and Pat Angerer.

Congrats on the first win, Colts Nation! Horseshoe Hero will be back next week when the Colts take on Jacksonville at home. For more, you can follow me on Twitter @catierae08.

Colts 17 – Redskins 30

The main storyline of Sunday’s preseason contest between the Colts and the Redskins was the much-anticipated quarterback duel between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the first and second over all selections in this year’s NFL draft. But the more obvious storyline as Sunday’s game in Washington unfolded was far more concerning: The Colts lack depth. Injuries on both offense and defense revealed the true, sky-high value of the Colts’ starting lineup as some back-up offensive linemen crumbled under pressure and the defense failed to stop the run. Without some major assets, the Colts will need to do some scrambling before settling on their final 53-man roster. The fact that they have first priority on the wavier wire helps. But in a veteran’s absence, two fresh faces did provide glimmers of hope at a key position: wide receiver.

Yes, this week there are two Horseshoe Heroes: Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton. Both are entering their first seasons with the Colts, one his first season ever in the NFL. With Austin Collie day-to-day after suffering his third (at least) concussion in the past 22 months, the Colts needed their backup wideouts to step up. These two seemed glad to do so.

Donnie Avery had 6 receptions, making him the second-most targeted WR from either team, for a total of 38 yards. Avery’s early presence was especially notable, because the game was his first outing of the preseason (He had previously been nursing a thigh injury sustained during training camp). Avery has become notorious for being injury-prone throughout his 5-year career. In fact, he missed the entire 2010 season after tearing his ACL. However, he is talented, and he was the first wide receiver taken in the 2008 draft. If he can stay healthy, Avery could prove to be a great option for Luck. It was nice to see an immediate chemistry and comfort-level between the two.

Rookie T.Y. Hilton was also impressive in Collie’s absence, pulling in 4 receptions for 54 yards, including a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass from Luck. Hilton caught my eye on several plays, particularly on a first and 10 play at the Washington-45 in which Luck’s short pass right was tipped. The play easily could have gone the other way, but Hilton got his hands on the ball and turned the almost-turnover into an 8-yard gain down the sideline. Hardly rookie-like. Hilton was the team’s third pick in this year’s draft (3rd round, 92nd overall). He’s proving to be deserving of that selection.

Note: Griff Whalen, another rookie WR and former teammate of Andrew Luck, caught a game-high 8 passes for 66 yards. While he didn’t play with the first team, he showed he belongs in Indianapolis and probably secured himself a spot on the team, at least on the practice squad. An undrafted free agent, Whalen is one to watch in the future.

While the new wide receivers were the heroes of the game, the offensive linemen were not. The run game was practically non-existent, and Andrew Luck had to scramble on several occasions to avoid being clobbered by the Washington defense. In his final series, Luck took an especially brutal hit by linebacker London Fletcher that was downright scary to watch. While both the Colts and the Redskins executed 27 rushing plays, the Redskins almost tripled Indianapolis’ rushing yardage, 147-53. Sophomore left tackle Anthony Castonzo seemed to be the only strength of the line, while right guard Seth Olsen gave up two sacks in the same series. The injured Ben Ijalana and Mike McGlynn are sorely missed.

The Colts’ final preseason game will take place at home against Cincinnati on Thursday (8/30) at 7:00p.m. It’s likely the starters will not play much, if at all, for the final preseason contest is commonly used to evaluate players who may be on the bubble of making the team. A hero will still arise, though, and he will be revealed the following day right here on Naptown’s Finest. Be sure to check back to find out who it is, but until then, you can follow me on Twitter at @catierae08 for more frequent Colts updates and commentary. Don’t forget: According to Jim Irsay, there are still some pretty fierce trade winds blowing! A blockbuster could be thrust upon Colts Nation at any moment.

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