Colts Stay Undefeated, Ride Past 49ers
Down three in the fourth quarter and the Colts throw a TD pass… would you have ever guessed that it didn’t come from the arm of Peyton Manning?
Some creative playcalling and a career day from WR Reggie Wayne kept the Indianapolis Colts undefeated, as they squeaked past the San Francisco 49ers, 18-14.
Peyton Manning was held without a touchdown for the first time all season (although he did complete 31 of 48 passes for 344 yards, his sixth 300+ yard day in seven games this year), as the Niners defense personified the bend-but-don’t-break strategy that defensive coordinators often try to employ against the Colts. Manning moved the offense up and down the field, but repeatedly stalled as the Colts got into the red zone, settling for field goals on four separate occasions.
The biggest play of the game came in the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Colts once again threatening inside the Niners’ red zone. This time, instead of handing the ball to Manning and watch him spin his magic, the Colts gave the ball to RB Joseph Addai, who started running left, pulled on the brakes, and lofted a 22-yard pass to Wayne into the end zone for a TD.
“I was just trying to get the ball out there,” Addai said. “In practice, I’m just kind of spotting up there, kind of looking, reading my keys. I don’t really have a key to read, but I kind of sit back there like a real quarterback.”
Wayne had one of his best days in the NFL, as he caught a career-high 12 passes for 147 yards and the aforementioned TD.
“We need these games if we’re going to push toward our goal, which is the Super Bowl,” Wayne said. “We’re going to need these close games, we’re going to need to fight through a little adversity and push forward. We were able to do that today. It was a grinder. We figured out a way to win.”
With the win, the Colts have now won 16 straight regular season games. They now prepare to face the 5-3 Texans on Sunday, in a game that’s already being dubbed as the biggest game in Texans franchise history.
