Thursday, November 6, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - December 21st, 2014
AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX
| Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys | |||||
| Dec 21, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (8-7, 4-3 Away) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Dallas Cowboys (6-9, 3-5 Home) | 0 | 13 | 15 | 9 | 37 |
Top Performers
Passing : T. Romo (DAL) - 203YDS, 2TD
Rushing : D. Murray (DAL) - 21CAR, 95YDS, TD
Receiving : J. Witten (DAL) - 7REC, 113YDS, TD
ARLINGTON - With the season basically on the line the Colts hit the road for a matchup against the struggling Cowboys, a game that looked like an easy win to put their season back on track. They were sorely mistaken, and the Chuck Pagano hot seat only got hotter. For once it wasn't the defense facing the blame, they did well enough, as Andrew Luck and the Colts offense just could not get going.
The MVP of today's game was without a doubt Dallas kicker Dan Bailey. The Cowboys offense did well enough to move the ball into the red zone, but Indianapolis stiffened up and kept them out of the endzone. Bailey started the scoring in the 2nd quarter after a Tony Romo sack forced a 4th & 12. Bailey nailed a 50 yard FG, and he just kept hitting them all game.
Luck had the worst game of the season, though he kept his head up like a true leader. Luck threw the ball 47 times and only managed to pass for 192 yards. His only INT came as the 2nd quarter closed, and things didn't get much better in the second half.
Murray was basically unstoppable.
Romo added two TD passes in the 3rd quarter, and then DeMarco Murray took over. The Colts defense played well, but yet again the big play plagued them. Lance Dunbar had 4 carries for a single yard before breaking one off for 70 yards. They managed to sack Romo five times, often forcing 4th down, but Bailey was right there to hit a FG. Bailey finished the day with 5 FG, three of them 40+ yards.
The loss exposed one of Indianapolis' biggest problems; linebacker depth. Jason Witten basically had free reign in the middle of the field. Man coverage was a nightmare, even with a safety covering him nothing worked. Romo barely had to work, going 17/19, and found Witten 7 times. More importantly, the Colts are now on the outside looking in with all of the divisions wrapped up. They need a win and a loss from Cleveland or New England to keep the season alive.
| NFL Standings - Updated: Dec 21, 2014 | |||
| AFC EAST | W | L | T |
| Buffalo Bills - X | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| AFC NORTH | W | L | T |
| Baltimore Ravens - X | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| AFC SOUTH | W | L | T |
| Houston Texans - Y | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| AFC WEST | W | L | T |
| Denver Broncos - Z | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| AFC WILD CARD RACE | W | L | T |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 7 | 0 |
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
Things are really starting to shape up in the final weeks of the season, with three games left it looks like there are eight teams for the six available playoff spots. The Texans won their game last week, keeping them a step ahead of Indianapolis, making today's game even more important. A win this week would clinch the AFC West for the Denver Broncos and most likely home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
| NFL Standings - Updated: Dec 14, 2014 | |||
| AFC EAST | W | L | T |
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| AFC NORTH | W | L | T |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| AFC SOUTH | W | L | T |
| Houston Texans | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| AFC WEST | W | L | T |
| Denver Broncos | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| AFC WILD CARD RACE | W | L | T |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| New England Patriots | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Cleveland Browns | 7 | 6 | 0 |
1:00PM EST - December 14th, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Dec 14, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Houston Texans (10-4, 5-3 Away) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
| Indianapolis Colts (8-6, 4-4 Home) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 19 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 282YDS, 1TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 25CAR, 89YDS
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 9REC, 84YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - The turmoil caused by the firing of GM Ryan Grigson was distracting, but losing a must-win to division rival Houston might have been a gut punch. It's going to take some serious character for this team, especially the defense, to turn things around and get through this.
The most frustrating element of today's loss was the complete and utter implosion on defense combined with an offensive vanishing act. Indianapolis is making a disturbing habit of giving up big scoring plays, and if it continues Chuck Pagano might not be coaching the team in 2015.
When this game opened, it looked like Houston was ready to win and the Colts had their pants down. A Rob Bironas FG in the 1st quarter and another in the 2nd put Houston up 6-0. Adam Vinatieri missed a desperate 52 yard FG, but the big problem was the Texans' defensive line. JJ Watt and Jadaveon Clowney were eating Indianapolis' offense alive. Andrew Luck went back to being knocked down regularly, and Trent Richardson was mostly ineffective.
Luck eventually hit Da'Rick Rogers for a TD, and then things broke open for the Colts' defense. With the Texans backed up on their own 31 Cuck Pagano would dial up an all-out blitz and get Ryan Fitzpatrick to make a huge mistake. A panicked throw to the flats would find Vontae Davis for a pick-six to put Indianapolis up 14-6 at the half.
Davis cuts off Andrew Johnson for an INT.
The second half was basically all defense, with no scoring in the 3rd quarter and the 4th opening with a safety. Fitpatrick would be overwhelmed in the endzone to put Indianapolis up 16-6, and then a Vinatieri FG would make it 19-6 and seemingly assure victory. Houston HC Bill O'Brien would have some tricks up his sleeve, and more than enough answers for the Colts' blitzing.
Fitzpatrick would put together a good drive, making more use of Arian Foster to get out of trouble, finally ending with a 29 yard TD pass. Foster basically ran over the Indianapolis secondary on his way to the endzone, and Colts fans were starting to get nervous. Things only got worse, quieting the crowd, when Fitpatrick found Ryan Griffen for a 41 yard TD and a shocking 20-19 lead. With only 1:28 left in the game, Luck just couldn't get them in FG range and the clock hit 0:00 to put the Colts in bad situation.
Arian Foster came up big when it counted.
Now 8-6, Indianapolis is now vulnerable to falling into the middle of a four team race for the wild card slots. Depending on how things shake out, this loss could be season ending.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - December 7th, 2014
FirstEnergy Stadium - Cleveland, OH
| Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns | |||||
| Dec 7, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (8-5, 4-2 Away) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 25 |
| Cleveland Browns (7-6, 3-4 Home) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 297YDS, 3TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 16CAR, 86YDS
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 7REC, 65YDS
CLEVELAND - Today's game would have playoff implications, with the loser ending up on the outside looking in, but the media coverage would be overwhelmed by another story. With Brian Hoyer out after injuring his shoulder Johnny Manziel would get to start, and the Cleveland fans would go crazy.
Even with all of the attention on Manziel, the real story was the Browns defense. Mike Pettine nearly put on a master class, constantly frustrating the Colts and keeping Dwayne Allen at bay. Andrew Luck is already familiar with teams trying to stop Allen, the NFL's leading reciever, but today it really worked. Joe Haden, the Browns' celebrated CB, was particularly good today and starting things off with a 1st quarter INT.
Manziel would be a pain on the ground, but not much of a threat passing.
The Cleveland defense was able to clamp down on TY Hilton, Reggie Wayne, and Allen, but the Colts have more weapons up their sleeve. The Browns' defensive plans left Coby Fleener an opening to shine, and he burned man coverage for the Colts' first TD of the game.
Cleveland would answer back, but with Indianapolis driving it would be their defense that would step up. Justin Gilbert, the Browns' 1st round draft pick, would pick off Luck with less than 0:30 to go in the 2nd quarter and keep Cleveland in the game.
Thing really picked up in the second half when the Colts defensive issues reared it's ugly head. After gaining a measly 9 yards on 10 carries Isiah Crowell would rumble for 63 yards down to the 1. A short Manziel TD run later and Chuck Pagano became furious on the sidelines. A shouting match between Pagano and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky would ensue, but luckily a Wayne TD would tie the game again.
The Browns did not have an answer for Fleener at times.
The teams would swap TD passes again in the 4th, but this time the Colts would go for 2 and make it 22-21 to hold a slim lead. Manziel would lead a promising drive, but a 7 yard completion on 4th & 9 would give Indianapolis the ball back. The Browns defense would be solid again, stalling the Colts, but Adam Vinatieri would hit a 22 yard FG which would prove to be the final blow.
Now at 8-5, the Colts have passed Cleveland and host the Texans in week 15. Indianapolis controls it's destiny at this point, a victory over Houston would give them a leg up in the division and put them on track to a playoff spot.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - November 30th, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Washington Redskins at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Nov 30, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Washington Redskins (6-6, 4-3 Away) | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Indianapolis Colts (7-5, 4-3 Home) | 0 | 14 | 21 | 5 | 40 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 366YDS, 2TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 25CAR, 104YDS, 3TD
Receiving : L. Hankerson (WAS) - 4REC, 123YDS, TD
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts took an important step forward today by finding their groove on offense, a stellar performance by the defensive line also paced a beating of Washington. The Colts have been using TE Dwayne Allen to torment defense, and Washington head coach Jay Gruden made it clear they would make a 'concerted effort' to halt Allen. Unfortunately for Washington they forgot about Coby Fleener.
Washington took the lead with a Kai Forbath 35 yard FG on their opening drive and managed to shut out Indianapolis for the rest of the 1st quarter. Trent Richardson finally put the Colts on the board with a short TD run and they never looked back. Originally billed as a battle of the 2012 Draft, Andrew Luck made it clear why the Colts took him over Robert Griffin III. Griffin had a decent game, throwing for 301 yards and 2TD, but Luck engineered scoring drive after scoring drive to put Washington in a huge hole.
Washington's plan to stop Allen worked, but Fleener collected 10 receptions and 108 yards before leaving the game with an injury in the middle of the 3rd quarter. While stopping Allen seemed to work, Luck just spread the ball around even more. After the dust had settled the Colts nearly had three 100 yard receivers with TY Hilton (98) and Reggie Wayne (94) falling just short.
Richardson's short run opened the flood gates.
The Colts offensive explosion certainly helped win the game, but the Colts defense racked up 7 sacks on the day including a safety by OLB Eric Walden. They couldn't stop Leonard Hankerson, but Griffin ended up on his back so often it didn't really matter.
The win keeps Indianapolis in the hunt for a playoff spot and potentially an AFC South title. The Houston Texans also won today to make it to 8-4, with a Week 15 match up between the teams that could decide the division the Colts desperately need to win out.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - November 23rd, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Nov 23, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8, 2-4 Away) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Indianapolis Colts (6-5, 3-3 Home) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 284YDS, 5TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 14CAR, 54YDS
Receiving : R. Wayne (IND) - 6REC, 81YDS, TD
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts continued their much needed stretch of home games with a visit from the Jaguars, and they were more than happy to tally an easy win. A two game win streak after the BYE is just what the doctor ordered for this ailing organization. A new GM has not been hired yet, and the Colts find themselves within striking distance of a trip back to the playoffs.
Rookie Blake Bortles was under center for the Jaguars today, and while he took his lumps and failed to generate much offense he showed off why Jacksonville took him in the first round. The Jags offensive line basically melted under the Colts attack, but Bortles used his legs regularly to turn a sack into a short gain.
Having TY Hilton back in the lineup helped Luck on his way to 5TD passes.
The Jaguars defense, believe it or not, was the highlight of this game. Despite the score they managed to stuff the Colts running game, allowing only 52 total yards, but Andrew Luck and Dwayne Allen would not be denied. Allen caught touchdown passes in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th quarter as part of Luck's 5TD day. The Jacksonville offense made things easy by constantly giving Indianapolis a short field to work with.
The best Jacksonville could do was two Josh Scobee FG's and recover an onside kick in the 4th that ended with a failed offensive drive. The Jaguars have a way to go before they can become a force in the AFC South, as long as they keep giving up 5TD games to Andrew Luck it might be longer than they think.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
| New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Nov 16, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| New England Patriots (7-3, 3-2 Away) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Indianapolis Colts (5-5, 2-3 Home) | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 319YDS, 3TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 21CAR, 120YDS, TD
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 8REC, 140YDS, TD
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts returned home this week to face off against a hated rival, the New England Patriots. The Colts have suffered under the Patriots recently, even back to the Manning years, but with Tom Brady fading this would be the Colts chance at revenge.
Most of the talk during the lead up to this game would be how Bill Belichick would handle the Colts' Dwayne Allen. Allen has been Andrew Luck's best receiver lately, cushioning the loss of TY Hilton, and few teams have had a way to slow him down with Reggie Wayne and Da'Rick Rogers to worry about.
Indianapolis would use two quick drives (5 plays and 9 plays) to jump out to a 14-0 lead, TD passes to Alexander and Da'Rick Rogers would put Brady in a tough position. The Colts would take it to New England again, looking to make it 21-0, but Darrelle Revis would be all over a deep pass to Wayne and pick it off. The Patriots would take it down to the 7, but the Colts defense would come up big and they would have to settle for a Stephen Gostkowski FG to get on the board. Things only got worse for New England when Allen would catch a 31 yard TD pass to head into the half down 21-3.
Brady was under duress all game.
The Patriots didn't have much fight in them during the second half as the Colts ground them down with their running game. Despite trading away Gosder Cherilus the Colts running game has remained healthy under OC Pep Hamilton. The Colts basically put the game away with a short Richardson TD run, the only score of the third quarter.
Richardson makes his way in for a TD.
Brady would finally get a TD pass with a 30 yard gain on 4th & 3 in the fourth, but the game was essentially over at that point. Vontae Davis would pick off Brady with under 2:00 to play and close out the game. Indianapolis' defense should be struggling without pass rusher Robert Mathis, but the Colts managed a whopping 7 sacks today from six different players. They are still dependent on their offense, but if their defense can hold the playoffs aren't out of reach just yet.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30PM EST - November 3rd, 2014
MetLife Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ
| Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants | |||||
| Nov 3, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (4-5, 3-2 Away) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| New York Giants (3-5, 2-2 Home) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 248YDS, 2TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 18CAR, 104YDS, TD
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 10REC, 97YDS, TD
EAST RUTHERFORD - Monday Night Football usually isn't the best place to start a week after trading a number of players and firing your General Manager. The Colts couldn't have picked a worse week to be on national television, but with a BYE looming in Week 10 they can lick their wounds if necessary.
Luckily for Indianapolis, a trip to play the Giants wasn't going to test them much. The Giants were just bad all game, and the way they played it's a surprise they came into today with three wins. The Colts didn't light up the scoreboard, but their defense managed to get turnovers and make it easy for Andrew Luck and the offense.
The first half was all Indianapolis, an Adam Vinatieri FG and a Dwayne Allen TD catch would send the Colts into the locker room up 10-0. Prince Amukamara would pick off Luck on a deep pass to Da'Rick Rogers, but that was the best New York could do all game.
The Giants had no answer for Allen.
The Colts added a 10 yard TD run by Trent Richardson in the waning seconds of the third quarter before the Giants came to life for their best drive of the game. The Giants only scoring drive, spanning the third and fourth quarter, lasted 17 plays for 80 yards ending in a 14 yard TD pass to Mario Manningham.
Another FG and a Danario Alexander TD catch put the Colts up 27-7 for good, and the Giants ended a humiliating Monday Night Football game with another loss. The Colts, looking good despite the recent off-field trauma, get to head into the BYE with some decent momentum.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
INDIANAPOLIS - It wasn't all that unexpected, especially after a four game losing streak, but it looks like the blame for 2014 has fallen on General Manager Ryan Grigson. Grigson was fired today following a loss to Pittsburgh, most of his staff will remain but the assumption is that there will be a massive cleanout after the season.
MSMG released a statement that came shortly after the news leaked via Twitter and other media sources through Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Grigson's GM tenure ended after only two years.
Ownership did not specifically cite a failure to build a balanced roster, but most of Grigson's recent moves have left the team in trouble on defense and the offensive line. The trade for Richardson, which cost them a 2013 1st round pick, was a particularly costly mistake.
If the Grigson firing wasn't a big enough surprise, the team announced a flurry of trades and free agent signings before the Week 9 trade deadline. OLB Robert Mathis was traded to the Steelers for a 2016 2nd round pick, OT Gosder Cherilus was sent to the Jets for a 4th and 7th round pick, and finally WR Hakeem Nicks was sent to the Raiders for a 3rd rounder.
In order to fill the roster gaps WR Jacoby Ford, DE Adam Carriker, and OT Max Starks were all signed to 1-year contracts. It's hard to tell if the team will crater after trading away so many starters, but they will have the Week 10 BYE to regroup.
Monday, October 13, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
4:25PM EST - October 26th, 2014
Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA
| Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||
| Oct 26, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (3-5, 2-2 Away) | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4, 2-2 Home) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 34 |
Top Performers
Passing : B. Roethlisberger (PIT) - 358YDS, 4TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 22CAR, 82YDS
Receiving : A. Brown (PIT) - 7REC, 196YDS, 2TD
PITTSBURGH - The Colts took the field tonight under some of the worst weather conditions, heavy rain and driving winds. The rain started before the game and did not let up at any point, the wind was a steady 11MPH that didn't make things easier, but the muddy field would make everything an adventure.
The Colts passing defense has been a serious issue once again this year, and the Steelers passing attack wouldn't allow them much room for improvement. Luckily for Coach Pagano, things would go their way through the first half and victory looked assured.
Through the start of the second quarter Andrew Luck had two TD passes, one to Da'Rick Rogers (19) and one to Reggie Wayne (10), to hold a 14-3 lead over a Shaun Suisham FG. The Colts defense would completely shut down the Pittsburgh running game, and a 21-3 lead was negated on a Wayne clipping call after a 23 yard TD pass to Dwayne Allen was called back and ended up as a 35 yard Adam Vinatieri FG.
With the half nearing a close Rogers burned Ike Taylor for a back-breaking 63 yard TD and a 24-3 lead. Ben Roethlisberger gave the Steelers' fans hope with a 57 yard bomb to Antonio Brown as the half expired. Down 24-10 the Steelers were being routed, managing only 14 rushing yards and 134 yard of offense compared to the Colts 313.
Rogers has stepped up in the absence of Hilton and Nicks.
Things didn't get much better in the 3rd quarter, even after Rogers was stripped of the ball (ruled an INT) to put Pittsburgh on the Indianapolis 25 they allowed three straight sacks to knock them out of FG range. The Steelers' punt was perfect, pinning Luck and the Colts offense on the 1. A short drive and a punt allowed the Steelers to kick a FG before the end of the quarter and make it 24-13.
With the game apparently in hand, the Colts defense went into some serious lapses and the final quarter became a waking nightmare. Roethlisberger took them down and found Orson Charles for an 11 yard TD, but they failed on a 2-PT conversion. Luck answered right back with a 4 yard strike to Donte Moncrief to go up 31-19, but the defense just couldn't hold. Pittsburgh used a 4 play 81 yard drive to score on a pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey, and the Steelers defense came up big time to force a punt. With just under 2:00 left the Steelers marched back down and used a defensive lapse to get Brown in the endzone again on a 24 yard TD. This time they converted the 2-PT attempt and found themselves up 34-31.
Antonio Brown has his way with the Colts secondary.
The Colts had less than 20 seconds to score, and couldn't get close enough for a Vinatieri FG. A truly disappointing loss after victory seemed assured. Luck and Pagano were visibly frustrated after the game, and with a Week 9 BYE on the schedule there was some concern that Pagano might not be around on Monday.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - October 19th, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Oct 19, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Cincinnati Bengals (2-4, 1-2 Away) | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
| Indianapolis Colts (3-4, 1-3 Home) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Dalton (CIN) - 224YDS, 2TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 18CAR, 99YDS
Receiving : M. Sanu (CIN) - 4REC, 67YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts had a few extra days to rest after a disappointing loss last week. They would need every day they could get with TY Hilton and Hakeem Nicks out for 5 weeks. The Colts cut HB Dan Herron this week to make room on the roster for free agent WR Danario Alexander, hopefully the won't have any other serious injuries.
Facing a struggling Bengals team looked like what the Indianapolis offense needed to right the ship, but this game was a total mess for both teams. Turnovers and officiating errors would be the story of the day, but in the end the Colts just didn't play well enough to win.
A Vinatieri FG was the only score of the 1st quarter, but the drama of the 2nd quarter more than made up for it. The Bengals scored with a 15 yard TD pass to Tyler Eifert after a 12 play 80 yard drive. The Colts came right back and on 4th & goal from the 5 Alexander caught a TD on a short pass, but the officials called him out on the 1 yard line. Coach Chuck Pagano went ballistic, and after some shouting threw a challenge flag. Despite crossing the plane of the endzone, the officials refused to reverse the call and the Bengals got the ball. The Colts managed to hold them at th 5 and Andrew Luck came back on the next possession to find Alexander a second time for an 8 yard TD.
Officials failed to rule this a TD.
The second half would be just as dramatic, this is where the turnover game came into play. Jermain Gresham would open the 3rd quarter with a game ending injury, but Eifert was more of a headache for the Colts. A promising Bengals drive would end with a Bjoern Werner INT, but Luck would give it right back with an INT of his own. The Bengals would get down to the 1 but a false start penalty and a goal line stop would force them to settle for a FG.
Luck would find Reggie Wayne to open the 4th quarter on a 13 yard TD pass and a 17-10 lead. The Bengals would drive back down the field and use a 31 yard FG by Mike Nugent to close the gap on Indy. Luck would start a march down the field to put the game out of reach, but Ahmad Bradshaw missed a short pass that would find Terence Newman and give Cincy a chance to take the lead. A few plays later Andy Dalton would find Ryan Whalen for a 1 yard TD and take a 20-17 lead. Luck would throw a third INT in the final minute and doom the Colts to a second straight loss.
Wayne hauls one in for Indianapolis' final TD.
Many feel that GM Ryan Grigson would keep his job until the end of the season, but the roster he has constructed is starting to frustrate fans and ownership.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:25PM EST - October 9th, 2014
NRG Stadium - Houston, TX
| Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans | |||||
| Oct 9, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (3-3, 2-1 Away) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Houston Texans (3-3, 2-1 Home) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 371YDS, TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 22CAR, 88YDS
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 9REC, 89YDS TD
HOUSTON - The Colts would face their division rivals tonight, a Thursday Night game on the road is the bane of teams and fantasy players. The short week of preparation would show, and to make things worse Hakeem Nicks would be out 5 weeks with a broken jaw.
Things got worse for Indianapolis almost immediately as TY Hilton was carted off with a broken collarbone on the first offensive play. Andrew Luck would now have to play without his 2nd & 3rd WR option and depend on the Reggie Wayne / Dwayne Allen duo.
The two teams would struggle on offense, finishing with a scoreless opening quarter, but Luck would find Allen on a 5 yard TD pass to open the 2nd quarter 7-0. Case Keenum, starting in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick, would give the Texans hope with a 20 yard scramble down to the 5 yard line. Unfortunatley for Keenum he would be leveled by LaRon Landry and fumble the ball, the Colts' D'Qwell Jackson would recover the fumble.
Houston would get their revenge ont he exact same drive, as Luck would take the team down to the 8 looking to make it 14-0, but Allen would get muscled away from a short pass that would be caught by DJ Swearinger and taken back 92 yards for a TD. The teams would struggle to score from then on, with a mostly uneventful and scoreless 3rd quarter.
Luck was not on his game tonight.
Things would come alive in the 4th after Allen dropped a TD pass in the endzone to force a Vinatieri FG. Keenum would take advantage of a coverage breakdown and hit TE CJ Fiedorowicz for a 71 yard TD and a 14-10 lead. Luck would engineer one last drive, but the Texans would force a 4th & 2 with less than 1:00 left to play, and Indy would fail to pick it. With the game essentially over Rob Bironas would hit a 53 yard FG to make it a one-TD lead and finish off the Colts.
A very disappointing game for Indy on both sides of the ball. Despite dominating the Texans statistically, and holding Arian Foster to a meager 33 yards, the long TD bomb and the pick-6 would doom Indianapolis.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - October 5th, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Oct 5, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Baltimore Ravens (2-3, 1-1 Away) | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Indianapolis Colts (3-2, 1-2 Home) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 349YDS, TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 12CAR, 118YDS
Receiving : O. Daniels (BAL) - 9REC, 137YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts would head into their match up with the Ravens looking like one of the better teams in the league. Two straight wins in which the Colts dominated their opponents would help build their confidence, but the Jaguars and Titans played like they may be some of the worst teams in football. Despite the winning, the Colts defense has struggled regularly.
The Ravens, even though a shadow of their Superbowl winning team, would present a number of issues for the Indy defense. The biggest issue would be the Ravens balanced attack, starting with Joe Flacco under center and the weapons at his disposal. Aside from the opening game against Denver, the Colts haven't faced a team with a running threat (Ray Rice) and a bevvy of receiving options (Torrey Smith, Steve Smith, and Owen Daniels) to complicate things.
Andrew Luck opened the scoring with a 1 yard QB sneak after TY Hilton was tackled on the 1, a disturbing theme for the game. Vinatieri would miss a 53 yard attempt near the end of the 1st, which would prove a costly mistake.
Rice would even the score with a short TD run after a long pass to Smith Sr. on an all-out blitz, and then Matt Elam would pick of Luck on a deep seam to set up a Justin Tucker FG and a 10-7 lead. Things would finally go the Colts way after two fumbles (Hilton on the kickoff and Reggie Wayne after a short pass) would be overturned after review. Vinatieri would tie the game on a 40 yard FG with time expiring.
Smith would be a constant headache.
The entire second half was all Ravens, the Colts defense could barely keep them from scoring and the defense was all over Luck's targets. Hakeem Nicks would get close to scoring, but a fumble on the 5 would kill the drive. The Colts would stone Rice on two straight rushing attempts, and it looked as though a punt from the endzone was coming, but on 3rd and 10 Rice would run for 31 yards to get them out of trouble. The drive would span the 3rd and 4th quarter and end with a Tucker 51 yarder and a 13-10 lead.
Luck, on his way to near 350 passing yards, would engineer a drive that ended with a short TD pass to TY Hilton. The Ravens, and Smith Sr. again, would torment the Colts defense thanks to a 39 yard TD bomb to take a 20-17 lead. Luck would have one more drive in him, taking the offense down the field with less than 2:00 to play in the game. The Ravens defense opened up, and with the clock ticking down Luck hit Wayne for a 37 yard gain that would win the game. Unfortunately Wayne was tackled on the 1 yard line, reaching for the endzone, but the refs did not give it to him and the Ravens walked away victorious.
Another inch would have won the game.
Despite Robert Mathis' two sacks, and the team limiting Flacco to only 250 yards, the Colts defense was burned again and again by big plays.
Monday, October 6, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00 PM EST - September 28th, 2014
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Sep 28, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Tennessee Titans (2-2, 2-1 Away) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indianapolis Colts (3-1, 1-1 Home) | 0 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 31 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 281YDS, TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 23CAR, 110YDS, 2TD
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 8REC, 102YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts would face an AFC South foe for the second week in a row, but this time they would have the services of starting C Khaled Holmes. They would also avoid facing Jake Locker thanks to a shoulder injury, Brian Hoyer would get the nod for the Titans.
The entire first half of this game was filled with offensive miscues that helped both defenses look good. The Titans managed to stone Trent Richardson in the 1st quarter on a 4th & Goal attempt from the 2, and then Andrew Luck would throw a sloppy INT in the endzone just before half time.
It isn't clear what either coach said during the break, but whatever Chuck Pagano said worked really well. The Colts broke the deadlock with a 28 yard FG by Adam Vinatieri, but their relief was short lived. TY Hilton would have to leave the game after dislocating his wrist, leaving Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen to shoulder the receiving load.
Richardson would have a big day on the ground.
Richardson would sneak in from a yard out to make it 10-0, and then basically walk into the endzone in the 4th to make it 17-0. A TD pass to Da'Rick Rogers would basically put the game away at 24-0 with the way the Titans were playing. Hoyer had a horrible day and the Titans couldn't run the ball at any point. Shonn Greene would finish with 12 carries for 22 yards.
Rogers evades a sloppy tackle on his way to a score.
The final humiliation came with the Titans threatening to score, finally getting into the redzone. A bad pass to Kendall Wright would find the arms of Vontae Davis on the 7 yard line, and he would run it all the way back for a pick-six and the final score of 31-0.
Friday, October 3, 2014
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00 PM EST - September 21st, 2014
EverBank Field - Jacksonville, FL
| Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||
| Sep 21, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (2-1, 2-0 Away) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3, 0-1 Home) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 324YDS, 2TD
Rushing : T. Richardson (IND) - 18CAR, 92YDS, TD
Receiving : D. Allen (IND) - 8REC, 115YDS
JACKSONVILLE - The rain started falling well before kickoff and it continued to come down hard when the final whistle blew. The wind was manageable for this game, but the field was a mess and would cause issues for the Colts passing game.
Andrew Luck was not lucky to start the game, taking a hard hit from Chris Clemons on his very first pass attempt. The hit would knock Luck out for a few plays, but that was basically the best Jacksonville's defensive line could muster during the downpour. Luck would give Indy a 7-0 lead with an 11 yard TD pass to Reggie Wayne.
The Jaguars would make things interesting to open the game with an interception on a long pass to Hilton, but the Colts would recover and completely dominate this game on both sides of the ball. Adam Vinatieri would make it 10-3 with a 34 yard FG to open the 2nd quarter, and Josh Scobee would answer back with a 45 yarder to break the shutout.
The Colts running game would help overcome the weather.
A Wayne TD in the 3rd and another Vinatieri FG in the 4th would give the Colts a 20-3 lead and the Jaguars basically folded. The Colts would eat up the clock and add a Trent Richardson TD run for good measure to end the game 27-3. Jacksonville would finish the game with less than 100 yards of total offense and a whopping 7 sacks allowed.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
THE BOSTON GLOBE (RED SOX DYNASTY REPORT)
BALTIMORE, MD - The Red Sox traveled to face the Orioles this week, their first series against them this year. The Orioles, sitting very close to .500, would be looking for a strong home stand to turn their season around and cool off the streaking Red Sox. With Chris Archer on the mound against Bud Norris, things would be in Boston's favor.
Thing started off very well for Baltimore, mainly because Boston's hitters just couldn't get anything to land for them. Delmon Young opened the scoring in the 2nd inning, thanks to Mookie Betts, when an easy line drive out caromed off Betts' glove and became an RBI double.
Xander Bogaerts pulled the Red Sox ahead 2-1 in the 3rd with a 2R-HR after Chris Owings went wild on the bases by stealing 2nd and 3rd. Both starters settled in and held the game 2-1 until the top of the 5th when Betts stole 3rd and made it easy for Owings. Owings would hit a 6-3 ground out that would easily score Betts for a 3-1 lead.
Betts has been very error prone on defense this season.
Norris left after the 5th, but Archer kept going and just mowed down Oriole hitters through the 8th. Archer only allowed two hits and a single walk on his way to 16K, the only run of the game coming on the Betts error. Leonys Bravo came in for the 9th and struck out the side with his 100mph heater for his 7th save and Boston's 21st win.
| Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles | ||||||||||||
| May 2, 2016 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Boston (21-10) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| Baltimore (15-14) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| W: Archer (6-0) L: Norris (2-2) S: Bravo (7) | ||||||||||||
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