It certainly wasn’t pretty or even textbook by definition, but when it was all said and done, the Indianapolis Colts came up big when it counted and “outlasted” the Minnesota Vikings on a late field goal by Adam Vinatieri to give Colts head coach Chuck Pagano his first career win.
The Vikings would come out with a drive that would nearly consume the first eight minutes of the opening quarter that produced an early lead with a field goal. The Colts responded brilliantly on their opening drive, going 80 yards in 13 plays culminated by Andrew Luck finding Dwayne Allen for a three-yard touchdown. In the second quarter, the Colts defense did a solid job on Minnesota’s star running back Adrian Peterson, and when Luck found Reggie Wayne just before the half for a 30-yard scoring toss, the home team headed to the locker room sporting a 17-6 lead.
The Colts defense continued to be strong in the third quarter, holding the Vikings to no points and when the Colts tacked on a field goal of their own, they took what appeared to be a commanding 20-6 lead into the final stanza. Minnesota had other plans in mind and when they sensed Indianapolis was determined to be conservative and simply hold on for the win, the Vikings obliterated the Colts secondary for two scoring drives in a period of just under six minutes with the latter of the two knotting the game with less than a minute on the clock, setting up what most in attendance thought would be an overtime period.
But Pagano had other thoughts and rather than having his rookie quarterback simply kneel and allow the clock to expire and head to overtime, he gave Luck the green light to go for the win. With two accurate throws to Donnie Avery and Reggie Wayne, and a defensive offside penalty on the Vikings, the Colts were in business. Adam Vinatieri’s kick from 53 yards out was true, and the Colts had their first win of the year, albeit in a haphazard fashion.
NOTES: The Colts defense held perennial All Pro running back Adrian Peterson to just 60 yards. While Peterson is still working to recover fully from knee surgery, that in itself is quite a task.
They also had four quarterback sacks, one each by four different defenders.
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Vikings quarterback Christan Ponder found the Colts secondary to his liking as he completed 27 of 35 passes for 245 yards and two scores. Percy Harvin gathered in 12 receptions for 104 yards.
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Andrew Luck was equally efficient by connecting on 20 of 31 attempts for 224 yards and two scores, but the Colts rushing game was rather anemic, garnering just 84 yards in 30 attempts.
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Luck’s mobility was a key factor in this game. While he was sacked twice, his 21 yards rushing in four attempts does not tell the true story. He avoided pressure on many other occasions and averted a number of potential sacks. While his offensive line was inefficient at best, Luck showed great poise.
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Colts punter Pat McAfee continues to be a weapon for the team. His booming punt from the end zone in the second half helped the Colts avoid disaster in their own end zone. His kickoffs in the first two games have been more than adequate as well. Look for him to make the Pro Bowl soon.
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The sellout crowd in attendance was no doubt a factor in the Colts winning their home opener. You sure wouldn’t know this team was dead last year by the sound of the faithful decked out in blue.
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NEXT GAME: The Colts take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Lucas Oil Stadium on Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. The game is scheduled on CBS-TV (Channel 8).
Danny Bridges, who incorrectly predicted a Minnesota victory and was reminded about it by more than one of the Colts players afterwards, can be reached at (317) 578-1780 or at Bridgeshd@aol.com.
