Sometimes the outcome of a sporting event is surreal and you simply stop and wonder how it happened. Enter your Indianapolis Colts as they defied both conventional wisdom and the odds and turned back the Green Bay Packers in what quickly became both a signature win as well as a stirring tribute to their coach who continues to fight for his life.
Emotionally drained from the news that their leader was diagnosed with leukemia and facing one of the best quarterbacks in the game, Indianapolis started the game sputtering and allowed Green Bay to have their way on offense. Aaron Rodgers engineered three scoring drives that provided the Packers with a commending 21-3 lead at halftime, setting the stage for a blowout of epic proportion.
The Colts obviously had other ideas and came out in the third quarter with great resolve. With the defensive unit beginning to put up a yeoman-type stand, Andrew Luck found Dwayne Allen for an 8-yard score and the Colts had their first touchdown of the day and trimmed the lead to 21-10. The next drive for the home team would stall but still provide points, as Adam Vinatieri connected from 50 yards out to further trim the deficit. The Indianapolis defense continued to stall Green Bay and provide the offense with some momentum which they promptly seized, commandeering a 6-play drive that resulted in Luck dashing into the end zone himself for a 3-yard touchdown run. After a failed two-point conversion it was suddenly 21-19, giving Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy plenty to worry about. The Packers would come up short on their next two possessions and when Vinatieri connected again for three, the Colts had an improbable lead.
Green Bay would however quickly regroup with Alex Green exploding for a 41-yard run, setting up Rodgers to hit a wide open James Jones for a quick touchdown and in the process giving the visitors the lead with just four and one half minutes left to play. However the white hot spotlight did not phase the continuing maturation process of one Andrew Luck who methodically dissected the Green Bay secondary relying heavily on Reggie Wayne who capped off an incredible performance with a phenomenal effort to break the plane of the end zone and giving the Colts the lead with just 35 seconds left in the game.
The Colts defense held firm and when Luck took a knee to kill the clock the sellout crowd paid tribute to their Colts by celebrating this unlikely regular season contest as if it were a playoff game. In some sense, perhaps they were correct.
NOTES: Andrew Luck attempted a rather gaudy 55 passes completing 31 of them for 362 yards and two scores. While the Colts complimented the passing game with 119 yards rushing, Luck cannot be expected to throw that many times a game if the Colts are going to be competitive.
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Reggie Wayne had one of the greatest performances a Colt receiver has ever had by grabbing 13 passes for 212 yards and the game winning score. His presence of mind to reach out and break the plane of the end zone was magical and he continues to be much more than just a security blanket for Luck.
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Irsay addressed his team after the game before quickly heading to visit with Colts head coach Chuck Pagano in the hospital to present him the game ball. Pagano communicated by text message with many of the players who were moved by his positive attitude since learning of his diagnosis.
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The Colts sacked Aaron Rodgers five times, including two by Cory Redding. The Packers returned the favor by sacking Andrew Luck four times. Luck’s mobility prevented at least three more sacks.
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The Colts travel to New York this weekend to face the hapless Jets who have yet to win this season.
The game can be viewed on WISH-TV locally and kicks off at 1 p.m. They return to Lucas Oil Stadium on Oct. 21 to face the Cleveland Browns. There are still tickets available.
Danny Bridges, who wrote the Colts off against Green Bay can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
