“We just couldn’t make that one more play that we needed to make”.
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It should be pointed out the Lions, with 12 seconds left and no timeouts at the Colts 25, opted to waste a play, with Stafford rolling and and throwing the ball out of bounds, jut to run a few more seconds off the clock before Prater’s field goal.
Offense Grade: ASep 11, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah runs the ball in the second half of the game against the Indianapolis Colts. He had only 183 receiving yards and one touchdown catch in 2015, while Riddick tallied 697 yards through the air as the team’s third-leading receiver behind Johnson and Tate. Stafford was 31-of-39 for 340 yards and three touchdowns.
INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – Sunday wasn’t just the regular season opener for the Colts, it was the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. However, this Lions offense looked better in Sunday’s win than it did in nearly the entirety of the 2015 season.
The defenses however, both struggled heavily.
“The Colts have made investments in that line, with first-round rookie center Ryan Kelly the most notable, and it resulted in Luck being pressured on just 29.4 percent of his dropbacks against the Lions”, writes Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson. Adam Vinatieri and the Colts would answer with a fifty yard field goal for the Colts first points.
Chicago’s Jay Cutler threw for 216 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but was also sacked five times and hurried several others on a day when linebackers Whitney Mercilus and 2014 top overall pick Jadeveon Clowney led the pass rush.
What we do know is that quarterback Andrew Luck and tight end Coby Fleener were teammates at Stanford and then for four years with the Colts.
One could argue Caldwell made the wrong choice to save all his timeouts after Frank Gore broke a 9-yard run to set up the Colts, who trailed by six at the time, with a first-and-10 from the Detroit 12. Luck threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns for Indianapolis, including two to Doyle.
Stafford’s 19-yard dump-off pass to Theo Riddick.
The Lions first play on their final drive was a pass over the middle for a 19-yard gain. Those concerns were only magnified when the first team offense failed to score a touchdown throughout the entire preseason.
The expected contenders in the NFC looked flawed offensively and buckled defensively in the fourth quarter, giving up an 86-yard touchdown drive to Ryan Tannehill that gave the Dolphins a 10-6 lead with 4:08 remaining. The Colts were in position to win the game because of Luck’s performance and because Prater missed an extra point when the Lions scored with 4:04 left.
The Lions however, wouldn’t quit. He directed touchdown drives of of 75, 85, 94 and 75 yards after a slow start. Then he found Melvin Jones Jr. for 22 yards to the Colts’ 25-yard line.
Caldwell said he considered using a timeout after the Colts got in field-goal range but was able to save it after the Colts stopped the clock to change personnel. With eight seconds left, Prater faced a 43-yard field goal after missing from 27 on his last attempt. Chuck could have bled clock AND still called the timeout.
How will each team respond?
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The Lions will have a chance to build on their win when they play their home opener Sunday against a Tennessee team that won only three games a season ago and lost to Minnesota on Sunday. They travel to defending Super Bowl champion Denver on September 18.
