The Indianapolis Colts earned their first win of the preseason, defeating the St. Louis Rams on the road, 24-14. Both teams played their starters for an extended amount of time, simulating something resembling a real football game. This is likely the last time we’ll see the starters in the preseason with just two weeks left till the regular season kicks off.
Andrew Luck played the entire first half, and despite a few bad throws and spotty protection, had a solid outing. He finished with 161 yards and a touchdown while completing 12-of-21 passes.
Luck’s lone touchdown came on a seam pass to Andre Johnson who was inexplicably not marked by a defender. Johnson made a man miss (who clearly made a business decision not to be trucked by the larger Johnson) on the 32 yard score, his only reception of the game.
Frank Gore was given the night off so Dan Herron got the start. He had nine carries for just 25 yards as the Colts struggled against the stout front seven of the Rams.
Vick Ballard was a late scratch as well, giving rookie Josh Robinson snaps with the first team offense. Robinson had just five touches for four yards and a lost fumble. Robinson did make an impact by taking out Robert Quinn on the touchdown pass to Johnson, proving his worth in pass protection. Robinson did leave the game early with an
On defense, Erik Walden continued his outstanding preseason performance with two more sacks. That went along with a tackle for a loss and a couple of quarterback hits.
Cornerback Jalil Brown, a standout in training camp, had the Colts lone takeaway stepping in front of the receiver to intercept a late Sean Mannion pass.
The Colts also managed to recover an onside kick early in the game. Pat McAfee faked a deep kickoff with a little dribbler that was recovered by rookie safety Clayton Geathers. The Colts used this type of play a few times in 2014, to great success.
Adam Vinatieri sealed the win with a 55-yard field goal late in the game. He’s the oldest player in the NFL at 42 and can still hit from range.
The Colts will have to make their first round of cuts on Tuesday and have to reduce the roster from 90 to 75 players. They’ll face the Cincinnati Bengals in Indianapolis on Thursday night at 7:00 PM EST.