Indianapolis Colts Report Card 10/07/2012
Indianapolis Colts 30 Green Bay Packers 27
Not sure if many people had the Colts sitting at 2-2 with the first quarter of the season done, but that’s where they are. With a stunning comeback against Green Bay today, Andrew Luck powered his way to a career best game and leading the way for the Colts to win for Coach Chuck Pagano as he’s off fighting off leukemia. Reggie Wayne had quite the productive day as well with his 212 yards of receiving, one of the finest receiving performances by a Colts player. This team banded together in that second half and wouldn’t quit even after getting behind 21-3. This could be a signature win for Andrew Luck in what is going to be a fantastic career.
Passing Game: A
Oct. 07, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) avoids pressure from the Green bay Packers defense during first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-US PRESSWIRE
With Andrew Luck throwing for 362 todays and Reggie Wayne accounting for 212 of those yards, how can I not give this performance an A? Could have bumped it up to an A+ if it wasn’t for those four sacks. But overall, what a passing day. Luck threw to seven different guys with five of them catching at least three or more passes. DeWayne Allen catches a touchdown pass on his way to a game of 4 receptions for 38 yards. Coby Fleener, the other rookie tight end, caught 5 passes for 41 yards. But the story of the day is Reggie Wayne, and his highlight catches. There were a couple of those in this one, and he shows why he wanted to stay with this Colts team. He’s going to be a great target for Luck, and that duo will be like Batman and Robin, a dynamic one.
Running Game: B
Oct 7, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown (31) is tackled by Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams (38) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Green Bay 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Not many yards to talk about here, but Donald Brown was effective when running the ball. Running for 4.9 yards on 17 carries is effective enough for what Donald Brown can do. Andrew Luck even got to running and ends up in the end zone on a score. This run game has been a bit better than recent years, and can still improve. But if Brown can provide this type of production each game to at least make the running game look like a threat, the Colts offense will be that much better.
Pass Defense: B
Oct. 07, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is sacked by the Indianapolis Colts defense during second half action. The Colts defeated the packers, 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-US PRESSWIRE
You think Aaron Rodgers and you think big passing game. But with this one, the pass defense held their own against Rodgers. He throws for 243 yards, but was picked off once for an interception. Also, the leading receiving only got 82 yards on 4 catches, which is a big yards per catch, but in the overall picture, it wasn’t that bad. The pass game would have been the Packers best advantage, but they couldn’t seem to take advantage of that. Corey Redding gets credit for putting lots of pressure on Rodgers even resulting in two sacks.
Run Defense: A
Oct 7, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Green Bay Packers running back Cedric Benson (32) tries to escape from Indianapolis Colts cornerback Cassius Vaughn (32) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeated Green Bay 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Aaron Rodgers was the leading rusher, so this Colts run defense has to get an A in that category. Cedric Benson went down and had only 20 yards on 7 carries. Rodgers ran for 57 yards on 5 carries. The run defense held their own and kept the Colts alive in this game. The run game of the Packers wasn’t much of a worry to me, and the Colts stopped the run as much as they could.
Intangibles: A
You think of the big issue in the Colts not having their head coach here for the game, and that looked to be a big disadvantage in the first half. But something happened in the second half, where the Colts turned it around. Maybe they figured out what to do with the Packers. Maybe the defense wanted to show they could get the team back into this game by stopping the Packers. Maybe there was just something special happening in that second half to get the Colts this big win. In the long run, this might seem like another win, but for the day, it felt like a win to get into the playoffs or winning that big game you didn’t think you could win. Andrew Luck put away those thoughts of Robert Griffin the third’s big game a few weeks ago, and had his own moment of glory. There were times he was showing how much of a leader he can be in his rookie season. He didn’t play like a rookie today, and that can go a long way for this team. Next up is a trip to play the New York Jets, where who knows maybe the Colts can get another win and get some momentum going for this season.