When news broke that Peyton Manning had a third neck operation and potentially could miss the entire season, I knew we’d see the true colors of the team as a whole. Well, two weeks in and we have.
Before the start of the season, I said the Colts could go 5-11 without Manning under center. No idea how they’ll even come close to that after watching the horseshoes fall to 0-2 on the season after a 27-19 home loss to the Cleveland Browns. It is the first time the Colts have started 0-2 since Manning’s rookie year, and the Browns first win over the Colts since 1994.
When I turned on the game, I was very happy to see Marvelous Marv Albert was handling the play-by-play for the Colts game. He is one of the absolute best in the business and can make a boring Colts and Browns game exciting.
A young Colts fan can't believe what he's watching.
But all afternoon was frustrating for Colts fans as reality finally sank in. I gave them a mulligan for week one at Houston. The Texans always get hyped for that week one matchup and Collins had been on the team 15 days.
A new week for the team, at home and against the Browns who are never any good.
Kerry Collins looked comfortable on the first two series while running no-huddle for the first time. The rushing game was there and the short and safe passes were there. His second half was terribly rough including an interception and lost fumble.
Through three quarters, Indy had just 96 yards passing. UGH. He finished 19 for 38 with 191 yards and a touchdown in the final minute with everything was long over.
To the defenses credit, they played well enough for the usual Colts to win. They forced a couple fumbles, held Hillis under 100 yards and got active pressure on Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy. The Browns possessed the ball nine minutes longer than Indianapolis.
If it wasn’t for the top defenders like Freeney, Mathis, Powers and Bethea, I can’t imagine how rough the Colts D’ would be.
The Colts rushing game came as a bit of a surprise. Joseph Addai gained 64 yards, and rookie Delone Carter added 46 yards. Amazing that the team’s 2009 first-round pick Donald Brown, is the third string back and didn’t even get on the field Sunday.
The kicking game was the best part of Indy’s game. Facing the most explosive kick returner in the league, Pat McAfee did well forcing a couple touch backs and directional punts to Joshua Cribbs. On one kickoff, McAfee was the last line of defense and took Cribbs down.
Adam Vinatieri also made up for his missed 39-yard field goal attempt last week, scoring all of the Colts 12 points. His field goals of 39, 27, 52, 36 yards were all good, but not enough for a win. The Colts can’t just settle for field goals, especially in the red zone. They missed out on too many opportunities deep in Browns territory.
Yes, it’s this bad Colts fans. I’m praising a defense that is best when playing with a lead and able to force the opposing team into making mistakes. And I’m praising Pat McAfee for doing his job of booting the ball into the end zone.
The only good news was that two challenges ended in the Colts favor which is a rarity.
So where will a win come? Possibly week five when Kansas City comes to town. The Chiefs already lost Tony Moeaki, and Eric Berry for the season and star tailback Jamaal Charles was carted off in their loss today.
Last week I wrote that Andrew Luck shouldn’t be on the Colts radar–but after watching this poor performance, maybe he’s the only thing to look forward to.
Oh, and Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.