PRESEASON FINAL: Colts Fall to Giants, 27-26

The Indianapolis Colts produced a dominant effort against the New York Giants on Saturday night, but it was all for naught. The Giants were unable to find the end zone until the fourth quarter but scored quickly and often for the 27-26 win.

Andrew Luck led the first team offense for four series spanning the first and a bit of the second quarter. Luck was 12-for-18 for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Hakeem Nicks, facing his former team for the first time, was Luck’s favorite target. Nicks hauled in five catches for 53 yards. He had a 36-yard reception taken away due to a self-inflicted taunting penalty, drawing the ire of Chuck Pagano.

Trent Richardson, despite his camp performances, continued to struggle at game speed. He had nine carries for just 21 yards. Richardson’s last few carries showed promise, but overall it was a disappointing performance.

While the offense looked sharp, even without Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, and Ahmad Bradshaw, the defense was the story of the night.

The starting defense held Eli Manning and company to just 56 total yards and zero points. They also had two turnovers taken away due to questionable penalties.

The Colts dominated the first three quarters of play, but fell apart in the final frame.

The Giants were able to work their way back into the game in the fourth quarter. A touchdown drive opened up the quarter and was quickly followed by a fumble near the goal line by the Colts, then was recovered in the end zone by New York.

A late, penalty-aided, touchdown drive brought the Giants to within one score with just under four minutes to play. The Giants got the ball and yet another penalty-addled drive gave them the one point lead.

Chandler Harnish had time to get the Colts in field goal range, and a couple penalties led to a 64-yard attempt by Pat McAfee that missed wide left.

If you noticed a lot of penalties in those last few paragraphs it is because 32 flags were thrown during tonights game. The NFL has decided to enforce literally everything on the field during the preseason, and tonight’s result was a game lasting nearly four hours.

With a number of starting players out, it gave some of the backups a chance to make an impact.

Griff Whalen played with the first and second string offenses. Whalen had five receptions for 32 yards and was the recipient of Luck’s touchdown pass.

Rookie Donte Moncrief entered the game as the second receiver in tonight’s game. He had just one reception for nine yards but also drew a defensive holding flag that resulted in a first down for the Colts.

Dan Herron continued to prove that he belongs on the team’s final roster. Herron had just three carries for 10 yards, but was impressive in the passing game with three receptions for 21 yards.

Adam Vinatieri proved he still belongs on an NFL roster after hitting two long field goals, one from 53 and the other 43 yards out. Rookie Cody Parkey handled kickoff duties tonight and also drilled a pair of field goals himself.

The Colts also managed to make it through the entire game without suffering any major injuries.

The Colts will host the New Orleans Saints next Saturday at 8:00 PM.