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Coffee with the Colts: Next-day look at Indianapolis Colts 20-17 victory over the Houston Texans
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Indianapolis Colts TE Dallas Clark
Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser takes a next-morning look at the Indianapolis Colts' 20-17 victory over the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis in Week 9 of the 2009 NFL season . . .
THE QUICK LEAD . . .
The Indianapolis Colts on Sunday registered a huge AFC South victory, coming from behind to beat the Houston Texans, 20-17, at Lucas Oil Stadium and taking what could be a crucial step toward a sixth division title in the last seven seasons.
The Colts (8-0) now lead the divison by three and a half games with eight remaining. To catch the Colts, Houston (5-4) -- which is very, very good and likely will contend for and perhaps make the postseason -- would have to win, say, six of seven games and the Colts would have to go .500. Neither seems particularly likely. That's how big it was when Houston K Kris Brown, who earlier made a 56-yard field goal, pulled a potential game-tying 42-yarder just left of the left upright.
*** SPECIAL: COLTS-TEXANS SLIDESHOW: PLEASE SEE BELOW ***
Still, the Colts' franchise-record 17th consecutive victory does leave a lingering question . . .
Will they have enough to finish?
The Colts in the last two games have won 18-14 over San Francisco and by three points Sunday. They rallied in both games, and although there are good things to be gleaned from come-from-behind victories -- former Head Coach Tony Dungy sometimes talked of wanting close games for the purpose of being postseason-ready -- there are some concerns in recent weeks. The Colts' secondary lost two prominent players this past week, S Bob Sanders and CB Marlin Jackson, and the linebacking corps lost Tyjuan Hagler. The Colts also played Sunday without CB Kelvin Hayden and WR Anthony Gonzalez, not to mention rookie RB Donald Brown.
That's five players who -- had they been healthy -- would have been in the starting lineup, as well as Brown, who is playing extensively as a reserve. Winning a a crucial, hard-fought dividion game under such circumstances accomplishment speaks to what in spots may be as deep as any team in the NFL.
But there's also a thought the Colts must be close to where they can't dig much deeper into the depth chart. CB Jacob Lacey, a free-agent rookie, started on Sunday, and likely will continue to do so until Hayden returns, which could be early December. Rookie CB Jerraud Powers, a third-round selection, has played so well at the corner opposite Hayden that he likely is penciled as the long-term starter at the spot. S Melvin Bullitt, as he did last season, has filled in productively for Sanders, the 2007 AP Defensive Player of the Year. There's little reason to expect a dropoff there, but Hagler beat out second-year veteran Philip Wheeler at the strong-side linebacker spot in training camp and had been playing well, so an already thin linebacker corps figures to be moreso.
Offensively, the team did a remarkable job staying productive in the wake of Gonzalez's Week 1 knee injury, but QB Peyton Manning warned in the aftermath of the injury the team needed the 2007 first-round selection to accomplish its goals this season. You've gotten a feeling the last few weeks -- in the red-zone and when a few normally convertable third downs weren't converted -- that such were the plays of which Manning may have been speaking.
And as for Brown the last two weeks, Addai has played well -- very well at times -- but the Colts seem to have missed his big-play element in recent weeks.
This is not a doom-and-gloom injury analysis. Far from it. The belief here is the Colts can overcome the losses of Sanders and Jackson, and had been doing so anyway, and that a loss such as Hagler -- while significant -- shouldn't be a season killer. But there also seems little question that some of the bigger storylines of early December could the potential returns of Hayden and Gonzalez.
The Colts may not need them back to win the division, but they have Super Bowl aspirations, and to reach them, they may need to be closer to full strength than they are now.
A FEW QUICK THOUGHTS . . .
* In retrospect, one frustrating thing for the Colts was how close they came to being up by much more early Sunday. They entered the game wanting to play so fast offensively that they essentially were in two-minute offense, and they did that, running 50 first-half plays and throwing 40 passes. They were snapping the ball quickly -- usually around the 28-second mark of the play clock, and it gave Houston trouble early. "We really did move the ball, but we just didn’t finish it well," Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "We got thirteen points out of it. Obviously would have liked to have finished a couple of those drives with a touchdown.” After the 50 first-half plays, the Colts ran 21 in the second half, including three in the third quarter when the Colts had nine yards and no first downs. "You didn’t really see that coming," Manning said.
* Manning became the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 40,000 yards in a decade. Only 10 other players have 40,000 in a career.
* The Colts won their 17th consecutive regular-season game, becoming the fourth NFL team with a streak so long. The Patriots have won it twice, winning 21 consecutive regular-season games from 2006-2008 and 18 from 2003-2004 and the 1933-34 Chicago Bears won 17 consecutive regular-season games. Weird, how it feels so much like two streaks, with the postseason loss to San Diego last season mixed in, and with so much time between seasons, but that feeling doesn't diminish the accomplishment. A lot of statistics get thrown around during the course of a season, but this one means something. The Colts since 2003 have been one of the most stunningly consistent teams in NFL history, and even with a coaching change, two new coordinators and a slew of injuries, that hasn't changed this season. The Colts have started 8-0 three of the past five seasons, starting 13-0 in 2005 and 9-0 in 2006. They also started 5-0 in 2003 and 7-0 in 2007.
* Jim Caldwell became the first Colts head coach to win his first eight games, and the first rookie coach in the Super Bowl era to start 8-0. He also tied tied Potsy Clark (Portsmouth, 1931) for the best start by a rookie head coach in NFL history (8-0). Caldwell will tell you he doesn't care about such things, and I believe him. Doesn't mean it's not an accomplishment.
* Colts TE Dallas Clark's 14 receptions tied WR Marvin Harrison's record for most receptions in a game. Eight-time Pro Bowl selection Marvin Harrison did it twice -- at Cleveland in 1999 and against Dallas in 2002. There are no guarantees, but how can Clark not make the Pro Bowl this season?
HOW THE COLTS STAND . . .
1. Indianapolis (8-0). The Colts would have liked to have scored more early when they had opportunities. They would have have liked to not have been holding their breath before Texans K Kris Brown missed from 42 yards on the game's final play. You know what? The rest of the South would like to be where the Colts are after eight weeks.
2. Houston (5-4). Sometimes teams are as impressive in a particular loss as they are in many other victories. Sunday was one of those days for the Texans. The Texans could have folded Sunday early and they didn't. They'll contend for the playoffs this season and be very dangerous if they get there.
3. Jacksonville (4-4). Did anyone else not realize the Jaguars were .500? Just when it seemed everyone outside Jacksonville thought this team wouldn't contend, the Jaguars have scratched their way to the edge of the playoff chase.
4. Tennessee (2-6). The TItans have won two consecutive games. Credit Head Coach Jeff Fisher for not losing the team, but it's hard to picture the Titans winning enough to get back in the playoff chase.
WHAT WE LEARNED SUNDAY . . .
1) Joseph Addai is valuable. Is he a big-time, 1,400-yard back? Perhaps not. Does he have rookie RB Donald Brown's big-play ability? Perhaps not. Is he valuable and productive in the Colts' offense? Absolutely. In the last five quarters, he has thrown a touchdown pass, caught another and ran for another. He also had some productive runs at critical times Sunday. "I think we were pretty efficient," Caldwell said. "There were times when we needed to run it.. We ran the ball pretty well. Joseph had some pretty nice runs."
2) The Titans are darned resilient. For years, observers have waited for the Texans to stop being a team with potential that won games late and start being a legitimate contender. That time is now. Down 13-0 in the first half, the Texans looked overhwhelmed by the moment and a lesser team would have quit. The Texans fought, took the lead and by game's end, the difference in the teams was negligible.
3) Jim Caldwell is very aware on game days. Not that we didn't suspect it before, but the challenge at the end of the first half -- a challenge that turned 2nd-and-1 from the Colts 1 for the Texans into a touchback and Colts possession at their 20 -- showed big-time awareness and organization by the Colts and their first-year head coach. Caldwell handled the situation masterfully, showed awareness of the play clock and also showed the ability to communicate with coaches quickly in a potentially chaotic situation.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW . . .
1) If there's really something seriously wrong with the Colts' offense. The thought here is probably not, because the Colts are producing yards. But in the last two weeks, offensive players have left the game unhappy with red-zone production. On Sunday, they scored on four of four red-zone possessions, but twice settled for field goals in the first half. The way the Colts were moving between the 30s, Indianapolis had a chance to put the game out of reach early. Not being able to score touchdowns from near the Texans' end zone kept that from happening.
THE LAST WORD . . .
Goes to Addai: “I think every game we have to go about it like it’s the Super Bowl, regardless of who you’re playing. I think the Texans are getting better. Next time around, I think we have to buckle down and bring our A-game and play them because they really played hard. They did what they did and we have to get them the second time around.”
PREVIEWING COLTS-TEXANS. HERE
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLTS. SUBSCRIBE TO IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S EXAMINER ARTICLES BY SUBSCRIBING ABOVE
RECENT COLTS NEWS
* QB Peyton Manning: Houston Texans "may be the biggest test of our season so far". Here.
* S Bob Sanders placed on injured reserve. Here.
* Status of WR Anthony Gonzalez uncertain. Here.
* LB Tyjuan Hagler on IR. Here.
* Friday rest for QB Peyton Manning shouldn't worry Colts fans. Here.
*** CATCH UP WITH ALL THINGS COLTS ON INDY FOOTBALL REPORT. HERE
*** COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: NEXT DAY LOOK AT COLTS-49ERS. HERE
*** 49ERS-COLTS GAME STORY. HERE
*** COLTS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL: WE FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO WIN. HERE
*** IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER ON COLTS DE DWIGHT FREENEY: HERE
MAGNIFICENT SEVENS: WEEKLY COLTS THOUGHTS . . .
Magnificent Seven I: Seven training camp thoughts and observations
Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne
Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line
Magnificent Seven IV: On the Colts' offense, OG Ryan Lilja and WR Anthony Gonzalez
Magnificent Seven V: On S Melvin Bullitt and QB Peyton Manning
Magnificent Seven VI: On RB Donald Brown and the start of the season . . . at last
Magnificent Seven VII: On WR Reggie Wayne, the OL and blitzing
Magnificent Seven VIII: On WR Reggie Wayne, QB Peyton Manning and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven IX: On DE Robert Mathis, S Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven X: On QB Peyton Manning's start and life without DT Ed Johnson
Magnificent Seven XI: On RB rotation, DE Dwight Freeney and S Bob Sanders
Magnificent Seven XII: On WR Reggie Wayne, TE Dallas Clark and running game
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