The Indianapolis Colts played their home-opener on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Lucas Oil Stadium.
A sea of dedicated Colts fans packed the streets outside of the stadium and the seats inside in preparation for the game. Being the home opener, hopes were at an all-time high. The Colts were introduced one at a time, running out of the tunnel through a wall of smoke. The ambition paid off after four quarters as the Colts defeated the Falcons 27-24.
Jacoby Brissett had a stellar performance on Sunday. He completed 28 of 37 passes for 310 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Brissett had an explosive start in the first half, connecting on his first 16 pass attempts (something that hasn’t been done in Indianapolis since 2008, in the hands of Peyton Manning). Brissett ended the game with a 75.7 percent completion rating (just four yards away from matching his career-high passing yardage).
T.Y. Hilton completed 8 catches on 10 attempts, all while gaining 65 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, Hilton tweaked his already-injured quad during Sunday’s match-up and was taken out of the game in err of caution looking into week 4.
Marlon Mack (while dealing with a calf injury) showed no push on Sunday, rushing 16 times for 74 yards and a touchdown and brought in two of three targets for 14 yards.
Eric Ebron completed three of four targets for 47 yards. Brissett connected with Ebron for a 30-yard reception, Ebron’s longest of the season so far. The tight end is continuously improving, and we should expect to see more of a performance in the red zone in week 4.
Fans can breath easier today in regards to Adam Vinatieri. After missing 7 kicks in the last three games, Vinatieri went 5-for-5 on Sunday. After one of the worst ruts in his 24-year long career, it seems that the NFL’s all-time leading scorer is back in business.
The Colts return to practice this week in preparation for the Oakland Raiders, their week 4 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.