The Colts opened their regular season last Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals. The fans were there in force. Part of what they wanted to see was Andrew Luck really throwing the ball in a regular game that counted. Well, they got their wish. Number 12 is back! Andrew Luck was behind center throwing, running, and making plays. Physically he is there. He still has some emotional and mental rust to shake off after not playing for more than 600 days, but that will come. His first pass was a completion; unfortunately it was caught by a Bengal defensive back. He shook that off, however, and had the offense rolling. Luck hit 39 completions on 53 attempts for 313 yards and two touchdowns. So much for the sore arm. All the receivers benefited from Luck’s generosity. Tight end Jack Doyle caught 7 for 60 yards. New wideout Ryan Grant grabbed 8 for 59. New tight end Eric Ebron caught 4 for 51 including a lovely 26 yard touchdown pass. Rookie running back Nyheim Hines pulled in 7 for 33 yards. T.Y. Hilton had 5 for 46 yard and a touchdown. That’s the good news.
The bad news is most of the problems the Horseshoe had last season are still a problem this year. The offensive line still is ah, what’s the polite term, work in progress. One of the big reasons for all the passing was that the running game was “ineffective.” Most of Luck’s throws were quick hitters, dumps, and screens. Rookie Jordan Wilkins got the start at running back and he was a lackluster 40 yards on 14 attempts. Some of that was on the offensive line. The Bengal‘s defensive front 7 is first rate and won the battle of the trenches. The Colts managed 75 total yards on 22 attempts. To be fair, the unit is without their 2 starting tackles Anthony Castonzo and Denzelle Good who are both out with injuries. Joe Haag started for Castonzo but is more effective as a guard or center. J’Marcus Webb at right tackle is a journeyman who has bounced around the league for 7 seasons. Things may improve when the starters return to action.
The defense? Well, again, the pass rush is lacking. Bengal quarterback Andy Dalton was seldom pressed and threw for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. Cincinnati’s second year running back Joe Mixon banged out 95 yards and a touchdown, most of that coming in the 2nd half. As it was, the Colts were watching down the field to set up what would have been a game winning field goal by you-know-who, the NFL’s oldest active player. Then Jack Doyle coughed up the football and Bengal’s safety returned it 83 yards for the game sealing touchdown.
Okay, put the loss behind you and move forward. The Horseshoe meets the Redskins in Washington DC next Sunday. The ‘Skins are coming off of a 24-6 whipping of the Arizona Cardinals so this will be a challenging match-up. We do know that Andrew Luck will be there and he will give us a chance at a win!
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