I will admit it.
I have been skeptical since training camp, and while I still feel that futility, not parity, is the state of affairs in the NFL for three quarters of its teams, these Colts continue to distinguish themselves in a fashion that is indeed impressive.
You can now add the defending division champion Titans to the list of teams that the Colts offense has had its way with as Indianapolis made easy work of them on a national stage, defeating Tennessee handily by a 31- 9 count.
This was yet another game that was for all practical purposes over at the half way mark, and that now marks the third time this year the Colts have virtually sealed the deal after just two quarters of play. In the process, they continue to dismiss my “who have you played so far theory,” reducing it to perhaps my vivid memories of the ghosts of playoff failures past.
The Colts would strike first against the Titans after Antoine Bethea recovered a Tennessee fumble at the Titan 37 yard line.
Peyton Manning would need just five plays to find Reggie Wayne for a three yard touchdown and Indianapolis quickly took a lead they would never relinquish. The Titans would manage two field goals to trail 7-6 at the end of the first period.
The second quarter was vintage Manning as he mixed both short and intermediate range pass completions to set up a Joseph Addai one yard touchdown run. Manning would find rookie Austin Collie for a 39 yard touchdown pass just before the half and Indianapolis would take a 21-9 lead in to the locker room at halftime. The third quarter in reality was no more than a controlled scrimmage for the Colts as they tacked on another touchdown, once again courtesy of Manning to Collie, this one from six yards out to bolster their margin to a count of 28-9.
Indianapolis would add a meaningless field goal in the final stanza, which was overly boring to watch due to the Titan’s inability to do anything on offense, which was due largely in part to the robust defensive efforts of the Colts defense.
(I admit, I was also viewing the MLB Playoffs at this point)
Notes: Tennessee is now 0-5 and while Jeff Fisher is widely viewed as a great coach, he indeed may be on his way out in Tennessee if the Titans do not manage to put together a run and salvage some respectability yet this season. While he would not be unemployed long, it is hard to imagine Fisher in this position.
Peyton Manning became just the third quarterback in NFL history to begin the season by throwing for over three hundred yards in five straight games. Manning was indeed in a groove as he completed 16 straight passes over one stretch and would go on to finish the night with a gaudy 36 for 44 that produced 309 yards and three touchdowns.
Indianapolis now has a three game lead in the AFC South after just five games. While the division is generally viewed as one of the more competitive ones in the NFL, this season appears to be different. Barring catastrophic injuries to key Colts personnel, the race for the division crown is all but over folks.
Dwight Freeney continued his streak of at least one sack per game this season when he collared Titan Quarterback Kerry Collins in the third quarter. So much for those bad quadriceps.
The Colts have now won 14 straight regular season games, a statistic that seems almost meaningless to yours truly considering their playoff failures the past two seasons.
The Indianapolis defense held Titan running back Chris Brown to just 34 yards on nine carries. Brown came in to the game as the leading rusher in the NFL.
The Titan’s Nick Harper suffered a broken forearm in the third quarter. Harper played for the Colts from 2001-2006.
The Colts will have a bye this week and will play again Sunday Oct. 25 when they travel to St. Louis to battle the Rams. Kickoff is 1 p.m. EST and the game can be viewed on CBS.
Danny Bridges, who at the risk of being overly redundant, still feels the Colts have yet to play a good football team and can be reached to discuss such at (317) 578-1780 or by e-mail at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
