Usually when Peyton Manning fails to throw a touchdown pass, the Colts are in trouble. But as SBN’s Colts blog, Stampede Blue, points out, perhaps that is not as true this season. The reason? Their defense:
SBN’s Stampede Blue: Defense Leads The Way For Colts
The 49ers did not score a single point in the second half. Their running game was stuffed and their passing game smothered. Frank Gore ran for 91 yards on 13 carries. That’s 7 yards a carry. But, this is one time where the stats really lie to you. 64 of those 91 yards came on one play, which featured normally sure tacklers Jerraud Powers and Antoine Bethea attempting to “hit” Gore rather than “tackle” him. After that play, the Colts held Gore to 9 carries for 20 yards. To put it mildly, Gore got lucky on his 64 yard run. The rest of the game, he was stuffed. The Colt then turned their pass rushers loose on Alex Smith, who was decent on one series and terrible throughout much of the game.
In a nutshell, this was a game that really showcased the Colts defense, who helped make up for the lack of cohesiveness from the offense. Again, these are the new Colts. These Colts don’t just play defense.
They dominate with it.
The Colts defense will face a stiff test next week when the potent Texans offense comes to town (though they will be without Owen Daniels). The Colts can essentially wrap up the AFC South with a win.
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