INDIANAPOLIS--What a great day of football in Indianapolis.
With the retractable roof and north window of Lucas Oil Stadium open, September sunlight poured in during the Colts 14-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
With the Tennessee Titans falling to the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers on Opening Night and the Houston Texans losing to the New York Jets on Sunday, the win gives the Colts a one-game outright lead in the AFC South.
That’s big. The Colts face a daunting two-game road stretch. A hungry Dolphins team awaits the Colts on Monday Night Football next week in Miami. The Arizona Cardinals await the Colts in Week 3. Head coach Jim Caldwell applauded his team on the way they played.
“It was a tough battle. We thought it would be a grind, and it indeed was,” Caldwell said. “Anytime we face Jacksonville, it’s a tough, hard-nosed battle. We had some good things happen out there. Reggie Wayne was simply outstanding.”
Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard also gave the Colts credit for their performance.
“They did a great job,” Garrard said. “They ran on the field with so much confidence. Everyone was out there flying to the ball, trying to make things happen.
The Colts opened the game with a ten-play drive that resulted in an interception by Jaguars rookie cornerback Derek Cox at the goal line.
After a Jacksonville punt, the Colts marched down the field again. At the Jacksonville 26-yard line, Cox recovered a fumble by Colts running back Joseph Addai to give the Jaguars great field position. The ensuing drive resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee.
The Colts responded with an 11-play drive that ended with an Addai touchdown run to give the Colts a 7-3 lead. Jacksonville responded yet again with a seven-play drive resulting in a Scobee 46-yard field goal that cut the Indy lead to one before halftime.
After a fourth down stop by the Colts defense, Indianapolis took control in the second half with a 35-yard-touchdown pass from quarterback Peyton Manning to wide receiver Reggie Wayne, extending the lead to eight points.
“Reggie has been playing at a Pro-Bowl caliber level for a long time,” Caldwell said. “He’s always been able to step up.”
After exchanging punts once and after an Adam Vinatieri missed field goal in the third quarter, Jacksonville responded with an 11-play touchdown drive, making the score 14-12 after Maurice Jones-Drew found the end zone on fourth down and two. The Jaguars opted for the two point conversion with the potential to tie the game. The call was a direct snap to Jones-Drew out of the famous “Wildcat” offense. The Colts held ground, stopping Jones-Drew at the goal line and keeping the score at 14-12.
With eleven minutes to play, the Colts took over after a Scobee touchback. Jacksonville’s defense stopped the Colts at the 44-yard line. Special teams took center stage. Rookie punter Pat McAfee’s punt landed inside the five-yard line and was stopped at the one-yard line.
Garrard and the Jaguars went three-and-out on the following series. After a punt by the Jaguars’ Adam Podlesh, the Colts started the drive at their own 33-yard line. After a first down to Wayne and an eight-yard completion to tight end Dallas Clark, the Colts faced a third down and one. The ensuing handoff to rookie Donald Brown was stopped short of the first down marker by Jaguars linebacker Clint Ingram.
A huge coaching decision was on the line. The Colts faced a huge fourth down and one. Caldwell elected to go for the first down. A handoff to Brown off right tackle Ryan Diem was stopped short of the marker by Jacksonville defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and linebacker Daryl Smith.
With a field goal to win the game, the Jaguars took over with great field position at the Indianapolis 33-yard line. After a two-yard completion to Jones-Drew, Garrard threw two incompletions, setting up fourth down and eight. The ensuing play resulted in a pass deflection by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett, forcing a turnover on downs. Manning took three knees to end the game.
The win was Caldwell’s first as a head coach.
“We certainly wanted to give Coach Caldwell his first win,” Manning said, “It felt good to get that with Coach Caldwell.”
Inefficiency on offense, particularly the two turnovers and the 57-percent third-down conversation rate, was cause for concern.
“(Defensive end Dwight) Freeney and those guys made plays,” Manning said. “The defense picked up the slack for the offense. That’s how you win as a team. We can certainly do a better job.”
Caldwell admitted the team has work to do in order to improve.
“We had two turnovers in the red zone,” Caldwell said. “We certainly have work to do. We have to finish. We have a long way to go in terms of where we would like to be, but we played well enough to win.”
“We’re a team that tries to stay as level headed as we possibly can,” Caldwell said. “Today was probably like every other game you play in this league. It goes down to the wire.”
After a two-game road trip, the Indianapolis Colts returned home and defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 34-17, behind Peyton Manning’s franchise record fourth straight 300-yard game. He also reached another milestone in the victory.
Having not played a meaningful football game for more than a month, the Indianapolis Colts—rested, healthy and ready to roll—fired on all cylinders during their 20-3 playoff victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
