Indianapolis steals one from Atlanta

During the bye, the Colts found out that Andrew Luck has a kidney injury that will have him out for a handful of weeks.

But while Luck’s absence meant there was playmaking and production that had to be replaced, it also meant there was an absence of leadership. Meanwhile, the Colts will head back to Indianapolis to host the Buccaneers.

All because of a slump over the past month – sparked by a perplexing drop-off from the offense – that leaves the Falcons (6-3) in a bit of desperation mode heading into Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. “My role is to help him emotionally prepare so that he’s feeling confident when he’s ready to go”.

The Falcons have the quarterback (Matt Ryan) with the fifth-most passing yards in the National Football League, the running back (Devonta Freeman) with the third-most rushing yards and the wide receiver (Julio Jones) with the second-most receiving yards.

Adam Vinatieri has been Mr. Reliable for Indianapolis this year. Across the board, all of the Colts veterans had their moments.

Vinatieri made a 55-yard field goal to beat the Broncos in their previous game and was clearly in his range after the Moncrief play. Fullback Patrick DiMarco, known mostly as a blocker, tripled his career touchdown output by hauling in a couple of scoring passes.

Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in a game for the first time this season, but also tossed three interceptions, including a momentum-shifting pick and return for touchdown by Colts linebacker D’Qwell Jackson that tied the score 21-21 early in the fourth quarter.

Of course, that didn’t mean the game was flawless. The Colts are still neg-7 in turnovers this season.

It was Ryan’s second interception of the game. Assuming Freeman’s concussion doesn’t sideline him long-term, there’s nothing to worry about with the ground game, even after a subpar performance against the Colts.

It was a very ugly start. I requested that first pass as a play that I really liked.

Overall, I thought the defense played well on Sunday. I, you know, overthought it. On the other, the Titans had a great feel for the Falcons’ red zone play-action designs and stifled Ryan’s targets, leading to a deflected pass that was picked off. But remember, neither of these turnovers contributed to a Falcons loss.

Trailing 14-0 midway through the second quarter, Hasselbeck led the Colts’ best drive of the first half.

The most crucial mistake came after the Colts downed a punt inside the 1. Coleman and Terron Ward could muster only 50 yards on 19 carries. “They did a phenomenal job”.

Going forward, this is what the Colts need. He ended the game with an 84.5 passer rating. This was a win, but a sloppy one.

Indianapolis, which was coming off a big home-field win over previously undefeated Denver two weeks ago to snap a three-game losing streak, appears to be settling in for a late-season playoff run. His rush has been ineffective, getting just 17 yards on 14 attempts while the Falcons average just 2.88 yards per attempt, after going for 4.36 in its first seven games. The enhanced security measures are not the result of any targeted threats; rather, they are prudent measures under the circumstances and were made in coordination with National Football League security recommendations.