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Colts Awards vs. Jags: Horseshoe Heroes and Zeroes

By Luke Schultheis

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The Indianapolis Colts narrowly escaped a loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, largely thanks to the heroics of two of its “senior citizens” in 40+ year olds Matt Hasselbeck and Adam Vinatieri.

Missing Andrew Luck, it took overtime and two fortunate Jason Myers missed field goals (3 if you count Pagano’s icing attempt) for the Colts to beat the Jaguars 16-13.

Without further ado, here are our “Horseshoe Heroes”, as well as “Zeroes” from Sunday’s win:

Matt Hasselbeck: The 40 year old didn’t disappoint in making his 1st career start with the Colts, as Hasselbeck completed 30 of 47 pass attempts (63.8%) for 282 passing yards and 1 touchdown. It had been a long time coming for the 17-year veteran, who hadn’t made a start since November 4, 2012 with the Tennessee Titans.

On the afternoon, Hasselbeck showed a quick release from the pocket and moved around well to avoid pressure. His biggest play on Sunday came when he somehow found Coby Fleener in the 2nd Quarter while under duress for the touchdown:

Adam Vinatieri: The 42 year old is still kicking, literally. Okay, all corny jokes aside, Vinatieri was “money” on Sunday, as he was perfect on the afternoon in his 3 kicks including a 54 yarder and this game-winning 27-yard field goal in overtime:

Not only did Vinatieri win the game, he also became the Colts franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 1,004 points as a member of the team, passing the infamous Mike Vanderjagt who has 995 career points.

The future Hall of Famer also became the 1st player in NFL history to score 1,000+ points with two different franchises, also taking into account his time with the New England Patriots.

Oct 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener (80) catches a pass for a touchdown against Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith (50) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Coby Fleener: The 4th-year veteran tight end had been nearly invisible this season, as Fleener only had 5 receptions for 56 receiving yards total in 3 games entering Sunday. However, in Dwayne Allen‘s absence (ankle), Fleener became one of Hasselbeck’s go-to targets with 9 receptions for 83 receiving yards and the above depicted touchdown reception on the afternoon.

Pat McAfee: Anyone who thinks Pat McAfee is just an ordinary punter is sadly mistaken. The All-Pro helped the Colts win the field position battle all afternoon with booming punts. McAfee had 6 punts on the afternoon and averaged 47.8 yards per punt including a long of 57 yards. The “Boomstick” was once again in full force.

D’Qwell Jackson: Despite taking his lumps in coverage, D’Qwell Jackson continues to show a knack for finding the football and taking down the ball carier. As one of the veteran leaders of the defense, Jackson was once again a “tackling machine” for the Colts, as he had a whopping 17 tackles on the afternoon including 10 solo tackles.

Andre Johnson: After signing a 3-year, $21 million contract this past offseason, Andre Johnson has been the missing man for the Colts offense. Johnson had no catches on Sunday and was targeted just twice by Hasselbeck. On the season, he has 7 catches for 51 receiving yards total in 4 starts.

The 34 year old needs to start to get going soon to avoid being labeled as “washed up”. He’ll have a chance against his old team that discarded him in the Houston Texans this week, so the 13-year veteran definitely has something extra to play for come Thursday night.

Oct 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano consoles Colts running back Frank Gore (23) moments after he fumbled close to the goal line in the closing minutes of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Frank Gore: Don’t get me wrong, Frank Gore had a key 22-yard run in overtime to place the Colts at Jacksonville’s 7-yard line to set up Vinatieri for the game-winning field goal.

However, aside from his obvious receiving drops today, ball security is starting to look like a surprising issue for the historically dependable veteran running back. It couldn’t have come at a worse time again for Gore, who already had a goal line fumble against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 2.

On Sunday, Gore was hit at the Jaguars 5-yard line on 2nd and goal and fumbled the football with 8:29 left in the 4th quarter and the game tied 13-13.

Last year, in 16 starts for the 49ers, Gore only had 2 fumbles lost the entire season. He already has 2 fumbles lost now in 4 games for the Colts.

Josh Robinson: Gore wasn’t the only Colts running back guilty of putting the ball on the turf Sunday, as rookie Josh Robinson also fumbled early in the 2nd quarter in a turnover that eventually led to an Allen Hurns touchdown reception.

While this is officially Robinson’s first fumble lost, he’s already fumbled a number of times on the season, and the Colts could look to play a backup with better ball security going forward.

Oct 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) walks off the filed moments after he fumbled close to the goal line in the closing minutes of their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Next: Chuck Pagano Explains Sunday's Decision to Rest Andrew Luck

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