Colts Make Statement in 27-7 Win Over 49ers
By Evan Massey
Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco, CA – The 49ers were the highly favored team heading into their Week 3 match-up with the Indianapolis Colts, but they were unable to live up to the expectations, falling to the Colts by a final score of 27-7. Indianapolis was in need for a big win coming off of last week’s disappointing loss to the Miami Dolphins. This victory moves the Colts to 2-1 on the young season.
The Colts defense stepped up and contained Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers’ offense all game. Early on, the Colts and 49ers looked to be very evenly matched, and Indianapolis struggled stopping Frank Gore and the rushing game. As the game wore on, it appeared that the Colts figured things out, and the coaching staff was able to come up with a gameplan to shut things down for the 49ers.
Trent Richardson made his debut this afternoon, and his first carry as a member of the Colts was a one yard touchdown run. Richardson wound up running for a total of 35 yards on 13 carries and that touchdown that we mentioned. Ahmad Bradshaw was the real story of the ground game for the Colts, rushing for a total of 95 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. It will be interesting to see how the Colts use both of these guys in the coming weeks. Bradshaw certainly made a statement today that he deserves his carries, and that Richardson will have work to do if he wants to win the starting job away from him.
Reggie Wayne led the receivers again this week with five receptions for 63 yards, including some big plays in clutch situations down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Darrius Heyward-Bey had a good game as well, catching five passes himself for 59 yards. Ahmad Bradshaw (3 for 16), Coby Fleener (2 for 13), and T.Y. Hilton (2 for 13) all chipped in for Andrew Luck and the Colts’ aerial attack.
This is certainly a statement win for the Colts, showing that they can beat great teams on the road. Andrew Luck didn’t turn the football over against one of the NFL’s top defenses, and the team showed a lot of great things throughout the game. This is the kind of potential that the Colts have this season, and they’re more than capable of competing to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl if their defense is able to step up each and every game like they did today.
Colts fans have every reason to be excited following this victory. The team looked to have fixed most of the issues that have been seen over the course of the first two weeks, and they came in with a very smart gameplan. Things are certainly looking up for the Colts as they look ahead to their Week 4 game in Jacksonville against the Jaguars.
Evan Massey is an Editor at Naptown’s Finest. Follow Evan and Naptown’s Finest on Twitter.