Horseshoe Hero
Colts 9 – Jets 35
In their least productive outing of the season, the Colts lost a blowout to the New York Jets, 35-9 in the Meadowlands. After prevailing in most dramatic fashion over the Green Bay Packers last week, the Colts, injury depleted and perhaps tired from the effort, failed to reach the end zone for the entirety of the game. The team could get neither the passing nor the running game going, and the defense struggled, especially up front. Unfortunately, the horseshoe heroes were few and far between, but one reliable special teams player more than did his part.
Offense
Andrew Luck struggled. Even as I type this, I question whether that is a typo. But Luck had two not-so-pretty interceptions on the day, and although he threw for almost 300 yards, he completed just 50% of his passes, none of which reached the end zone. Luck may have been trying to do too much, attempting to compensate for the run game that was left all but nonexistent (just 41 net rushing yards) after losing top back Donald Brown to injury last week (He will be out another 1-2 weeks). However, I have no doubt that Luck will rebound. He is too mentally tough and physically talented to struggle for long.
Defense
Giving up 35 points is never a good thing. The Colts defense took a dramatic step backward on Sunday, suffering from the pre-game loss of Robert Mathis and the in-game loss of Cory Redding. Jerry Hughes, stepping up in Mathis’ absence, recorded the team’s only sack. But little else was done, and even Tim Tebow was able to complete a pass against the Colts on a fake punt. The Jets were in control through all four quarters.
Special Teams
The special teams unit was the only group to play up to the team’s high standards. Kicker Adam Vinatieri contributed all 9 of the team’s points, successfully kicking 3 fields, including yet another 50-yarder. Year in and year out, Vinatieri amazes me. Is this man really almost 40 years old? He is without question this week’s most deserving horseshoe hero.
While the crushing loss is hard to swallow, Colts fans must remember that their team is young and simply experiencing some growing pains. The group has already matched their win total from last year just 5 games into the season, and potential bursts at the seems of Indianapolis. Will the Colts rebound next week at home against the Browns? Horseshoe Hero will be here to let you know.
Stay Chuckstrong, Colts fans!