Colts beat 49ers in "grinder"
INDIANAPOLIS-A grinder. That’s what Peyton Manning called his Indianapolis Colts’ 18-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
“We never found much rhythm,” Manning said. “It was one of those days. We call it a grinder, meaning we have to keep grinding it out.”
The Colts played from behind early and often. They didn’t take the lead until the first play of the fourth quarter.
“It was a good, tough, hard-nosed battle,” Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said. “[49ers Head Coach Mike] Singletary had his team ready to play. It was a tight, tough game, but we found a way to win it.”
“The biggest thing is just staying with it,” running back Joseph Addai said. “It’s a 60-minute game. We need to correct the mistakes we made and move forward, but it really means something when it’s really close.”
San Francisco fell to 3-4 and two games behind NFC West-leading Arizona.
After winning the coin toss and back-to-back three-and-outs for both teams, San Francisco drew first blood on a 64-yard touchdown run by Frank Gore, taking a 7-0 lead. Two first-quarter field goals by newly-acquired placekicker Matt Stover cut the lead to one at the start of the second quarter.
With two minutes to play in the first half, San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith—the first-overall selection of the 2005 NFL Draft—led the 49ers on a touchdown drive. Successive completions to tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, combined with a roughing the passer call against Indianapolis, set up the eight-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Davis and gave the 49ers a 14-6 lead with 0:33 before halftime.
It was too much time for a hungry Manning. 38- and 24-yard completions to wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark respectively gave the Colts great field position. After a timeout, Manning’s 16-yard completion to Collie set up a Stover field goal with a second to go before halftime, cutting the lead to 14-9.
The Colts opened the second half with a 38-yard completion to Pierre Garcon on third and 20 from the 10-yard line for a first down. A 20-yard completion to wide receiver Reggie Wayne set the Colts up at the 21-yard line. After a third-down Manning sacked, the Colts edged closer with a 40-yard field goal by Stover to make the score 14-12.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Colts took the lead on a halfback option touchdown pass from Addai to Wayne. They never looked back.
When asked by the media as to whether or not his throwing motion looked as great as Manning’s, an atypically-talkative Addai responded: “Prettier than Peyton’s? I won’t say that!”
“The situation was right,” Caldwell said of the touchdown pass. “Addai did a great job of throwing and Reggie did a great job of catching.”
At 7-0, the Colts’ focus is now on next Sunday’s home game against AFC South rival Houston, who beat the Buffalo Bills 31-10 on Sunday.
“The most important thing for us is the next game,” Caldwell said. “Obviously, with the way Houston played today, we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
Manning agreed.
“It’s certainly been a good start,” Manning said. “We’re heading toward the teeth of our schedule. There are going to be tighter games. We’re following Coach Caldwell’s lead.”
