Dec 9 2012, Indianapolis, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) and coach Bruce Arians congratulate each other late in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Tennessee 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Horseshoe Hero

Colts 27 - Titans 23

The Colts recorded their 6th 4th-quarter comeback of the season Sunday afternoon, overtaking the Tennessee Titans for the second time in 2012 at home in Lucas Oil Stadium. Andrew Luck and Co. turned in yet another sloppy 1st half performance only to come out more polished and determined in the second half. Having now moved to 9-4 on the season, the Colts have all but assured themselves a spot in the playoffs. It’s guaranteed, but the odds are in their favor. Their success can be contributed to a true, unified team effort.

Offense

Once again, Andrew Luck struggled in the first half, throwing the ball high, missing some open receivers, and making some poor decisions, including a horrific-looking pick-six right into Will Witherspoon’s chest (The score actually should have been overturned, for Luck was down before he released the ball). The mistakes caused the Colts to fall behind early, and the team walked into the locker room at halftime with a 13-point deficit. But Luck turned the heat on in the final two quarters, making some big plays (Luck seems to play a bold, high-risk/high-reward style of football) and getting his team into scoring contention. In the end, Luck completed 16 of his 34 passes for 196 yards, a touchdown, and 2 INTs.

Part of Luck’s early struggles could be attributed to the O-Line, who struggled against Tennessee’s rush. There were also a myriad of significant offensive injuries. Samson Satele, Winston Justice, Coby Fleener, Delone Carter, and Robert Hughes all left the game at various points throughout the afternoon. By the game’s end, Vick Ballard was the only healthy running back left on the field, but he did a solid job carrying the load, rushing 94 yards on 19 caries. Before Carter left, he contributed the team’s only rushing score of the afternoon on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.

On the receiving end, Reggie Wayne was his usual brilliant self, catching a beautiful touchdown in the first quarter and leading the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (64). A myriad of other receivers got their hands on the ball too. Hilton and Avery had 31 and 50 yards on the day, respectively.

Defense

The defense had trouble stopping the Titans through the air, but they again impressively held running back Chris Johnson to a meager 44 yards on 19 carries. There were also some major playmakers. Both corners player impressively. Vontae Davis probably had his best game as a Colt, and although Cassius Vaughn struggled early, he had a big interception in the third quarter  that he ran back into the end zone for a score. Darius Butler also recorded an interception that led to a Colts field goal.

Special Teams

The special teams kickers were the stars of the game. Once again, Adam Vinatieri‘s field goal was the game winner. He also kicked a 53-yarder in addition to his 2 PATs, making him a perfect 5-5 on the day. His 9 points accounted for 1/3 of the team’s point total.

Pat McAfee kicked an incredible 52-yard punt in the third quarter to the Tennessee 1-yard line. It was a perfect coffin corner kick, and it would eventually set the Colts up for the touchdown-scoring drive that put them back in the game. On the day, his 4 kicks averaged 53.3 yards. Boomstick!

————————

Next Sunday, the Colts will take on the AFC-leading Houston Texans for the first time this season. The two haven’t seen each other since last year when the then 1-12 Colts beat them in an unforgettable edition of Thursday Night Football. Will the Colts upset their heavily-favored rival? Horseshoe Hero will have the game recap for you after the score is final.

Stay #CHUCKSTRONG, Colts fans!

The Jaguars have been playing without star running back Maurice Jones-Drew since he went down early in week seven with a foot injury. The Jags will also be without quarterback Blaine Gabbert for the rest of the season, who has been placed on Injured Reserve with a shoulder injury that was suffered against the Indianapolis Colts. Veteran quarterback Chad Henne stepped in for Gabbert, and helped the Jaguars take the Houston Texans to overtime in his first start of the season. Henne also led the Jaguars to their second win in week 12 against the Titans. Jacksonville will have many questions to answer after the season is over, but at least Henne has come out and fought hard. Both of Jacksonville’s wins have come against AFC South teams.

The Titans have lost all four of their games within the division. Tennessee has also had quarterback issues of their own. Jake Locker returned in week 10 from a shoulder injury, but has yet to win a game in the three weeks since. Running back Chris Johnson has rushed for over 100 yards three times in the last six games, but have only won two of those contests. The Titans play at the Colts this week, and have already lost an overtime thriller at home against Indianapolis in week eight.

The Houston Texans continue to play well, but have also had several very tight games recently. The Texans became the first team in NFL history to win two overtime games in a five-day span, defeating the Jaguars 43-37 in week 11, and then defeating the Detroit Lions 34-31 on Thanksgiving. The Texans can wrap up the AFC South win one more win or one more loss by the Colts. If Houston holds steady, they are in the driver’s seat for the number one seed in the AFC playoffs.

The Colts have been the most surprising and inspiring story in the NFL this season. Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has already won more games in his first season than any other number one overall draft pick in NFL history. Even though Luck has thrown 16 interceptions against his 17 touchdown passes, he has also rushed for a Colts quarterback record five scores. The Colts play the Texans two times in the next four weeks, and can still win the division if the Texans slip up. The Colts are currently in the top AFC wildcard spot, and have already won six more games than they did all of last season.

Naptown’s Finest-  What was your overall impression of the game?

Titan Sized- . My overall impression of the game was mixed. Obviously, as the Titans lost in dramatic fashion during overtime, I was a bit forlorn at the results, especially in light of the rather controversial non-fumble by Dwayne Allen late in the fourth. I thought that the two squads were rather evenly matched, as evidenced by the OT push, and that it was one of those closely contested battles that gets won or lost by the results of a few big plays. Both squads are clearly young, and have yet to fully develop their identities on either side of the ball. It was a good victory by the Colts, though, and congratulations go out to the team for their now winning record.

NF-  What did you think of head coach Mike Munchaks’ decision to punt the ball away late, rather than trying a possible game-winning long field goal?

TS-  It’s easy to say in light of the final outcome that we should have gone for the kick, but even at the time, I thought it was a calculated risk we needed to take. The wind was to  Rob Bironas’ back, and he has booted 60 yarders before. I think this speaks to what I perceive to be Munchak’s biggest weakness, which is that he is way to even-keel. Any young team feeds off of the attitude of it’s head coach, as seen in previous seasons in the likes of Detroit, Tampa Bay, and San Francisco. Even Bill Belichick, for all of his calculated press meetings, is a bit reckless at times, and I feel that you have to have that edge if you want to create an intimidating squad. Munchak needs to be a bit more of a gambler, and should have been in this situation.

NF- What was your impression of this Colts team?

TS-  As I mentioned earlier, the Colts look like a young team with promise that just needs some time to bring it all together. I think that Reggie Wayne is probably a great presence for the younger guys, and the Colts would be wise to bring in a first round receiver in the next year or two so that he can gain tutelage for Mr. Wayne. I still feel that Donald Brown needs to go, and you need to begin anew in your search for a running back. I also think it is unfair to critique the defense too much, as this was a transitional year, and while the Titans are no juggernaut on offense, you guys were able to keep us in check. I expect big things from the Colts in the coming years.