We’re here to give you a realistic breakdown of the Colts after each and every game.
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Before exiting early, Freeman had three carries for 43 yards. Rookie Coleman started training camp as Atlanta’s No. 1 rusher, but a hamstring injury opened the door for Devonta Freeman to shine – which he did. Bradshaw in turn tops team rushing.
D’Qwell Jackson’s pick six tied the game in the fourth quarter.
“We have talked all week about win your box – one play at a time, win your battles”, Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano said.
The aforementioned defense couldn’t get off the field for much of the game, yielding three long touchdown drives of at least 10 plays and 80 yards. In the Atlanta Falcons’ last two home games, the Dirty Birds have turned the football over 8 times, 4 times in both losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts. “We got pressure on them, got them back there a few times, and batted the ball”.
With injured Andrew Luck helping out on the sideline, Hasselbeck overcame a couple of interceptions and calmly led the winning drive, covering 56 yards in nine plays.
Playing in his 300th game, Vinatieri booted his 26th game-winning kick in either the final minute of regulation or overtime.
“We all knew that if we could Adam Vinatieri in his range, he is Mr. Automatic”, Hasselbeck said. He also has made 12 in a row after starting the season with two misses.
Hasselbeck finished 23 for 32 for 213 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions after throwing his first pick in 77 pass attempts on the Colts’ opening drive. Having Indianapolis Colts veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck under center instead of the younger Andrew Luck should be more of a downgrade than it actually has been this 2015 National Football League regular season, and one can argue that the Atlanta Falcons are catching a pretty nice break. In case you’ve forgotten, Hasselbeck is 40.
If the Falcons can’t get their offensive mojo back on Sunday against the Colts’ 22nd-ranked scoring defense and 26th-ranked red zone defense, they could be in real trouble trying to make a playoff push down the stretch. Coming into the game, DiMarco had only one TD in his four-year career.
The climax of the game came when Rashad Greene returned a 63 yard punt to set the stage for Blake Bortles 5 yard touchdown pass to Julius Thomas with just 3:30 remaining on the clock.
Three interceptions – what else can you say?
Ryan never saw him, Jackson picked off the pass at the 6, and brought it back for a pick-six that happened in the blink of an eye. But Jackson also had the team’s only sack, recovered a fumble and led the team with two tackles for a loss. “I look at it as frustrating because you’re moving the ball, but you don’t have the points to show for it. So you look at why don’t you score those points”.
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Trailing 14-0 midway through the second quarter, Hasselbeck led the Colts’ best drive of the first half. He dumped off a middle screen to Bradshaw, who hustled in from seven yards out to cut the deficit in half, 14-7. Of the Falcons’ 25 completions, only Jones had a catch of more than 18 yards. Clayton Geathers got the start at strong safety in place of Adams…. And Quinn’s defensive mindset is primed to pay dividends following the bye week; prime time for a first year head coach to clean things up.
