“You hate to lose anybody, especially your starting left tackle”, Pagano said.
Advertisement
But while Luck’s absence meant there was playmaking and production that had to be replaced, it also meant there was an absence of leadership.
The Indianapolis Colts hit the road this weekend as they take on the Atlanta Falcons.
On the sideline for the Colts’ game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Luck couldn’t fill that role.
Fortunately, there were plenty of leaders ready and willing to take that role.
Adam Vinatieri has been Mr. Reliable for Indianapolis this year.
After seeing the Colts’ offense have to bail out there defense so many times in recent years, we saw the script flipped on Sunday as the defense helped lead Indy to a 24-21 win over the Falcons. The Falcons got the ball back three plays later when safety Ricardo Allen intercepted Matt Hasselbeck’s pass at the two-yard line. Across the board, all of the Colts veterans had their moments. (Ryan’s first interception touched White’s hands before it was snagged by former Falcon Dwight Lowery.) But here’s the downside: Those four receptions netted 24 yards.
The Atlanta offense couldn’t do anything after Leonard Hankerson hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass on the first possession of the second half, managing only 67 yards the rest of way with as many turnovers as first downs (three each). D’Qwell Jackson, after feigning that he was coming up to stuff the run, dropped back into coverage.
Of course, that didn’t mean the game was ideal. He had just one in his first 44 National Football League games.
Ryan threw to White on each of the team’s first three plays. Hasselbeck told Colts.com after the game that it was even a play that he had picked out specifically to start the game.
It was a very ugly start. We’ve got to go out there and make up for the things that he’s not doing well right now.
“I wish we would have won”, DiMarco said. I thought it was a safe, completion play. “She never knows things when I need her”. He didn’t appear to see Jackson, who stepped in front of the pass for the interception and ran into the end zone. Gore left the game early with what was described as a quad contusion that rendered him questionable to return, but he was back nearly immediately, although he finished the game with a slight limp. The Falcons have too many weapons for an inconsistent Colts defense to handle.
Combine the Stage 1 Falcons with the Stage 2 Falcons and what you’ll likely get is a Stage 3 Falcons club that finishes 10-6 and is a risky Wild-Card foe. The Colts used their bye week to get on the same page – more so for the coaching staff than for the players.
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Falcons are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -5 points against the Colts today. This was a win, but a sloppy one.
Advertisement
With the offense racking up just 276 yards of offense and two touchdowns to go with three turnovers, the defense kept them in the game against a potent offense. They’ve had the NFL’s softest schedule, and through five games they made hay of it. They’ve since lost four of five, and matters are about to toughen.
