NFL Tickets
The Indianapolis Colts looked like they had their first victory of the season wrapped up as they led 20-6 with about six minutes left in the game in their Week 2 match-up versus the Minnesota Vikings.
However, it was not until Christian Ponder had a batted pass that somehow ended up in Stephen Burton‘s hands for a seven-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 20-13. Soon enough, the game was tied at 20 thanks to another touchdown pass, with Ponder connecting with tight end Kyle Rudolph with 31 seconds left.
Andrew Luck wasn’t going to let his solid home-opening performance in Lucas Oil Stadium all go to waste, so he took advantage of the time he had left as he marched the Colts down the field to set up a game-winning field goal for Adam Vinatieri to complete. Being the king of clutch kicks that he is, Vinatieri connected on a 53-yard field goal to make it 23-20 with seconds remaining.
Indianapolis ended up winning and improved their record to 1-1, making it Luck’s first NFL regular season victory of his career. Vinatieri helped kick things away for Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, giving him three Super Bowls. He then helped Peyton Manning get one thanks to his big kicks in the playoffs and next up it seems like it will be Luck.
For most of the game for the Vikings, it was a struggle until the finally turned up the tires in the fourth. Indianapolis started off strong early, with Luck leading the Colts down the field in their first drive of the game, taking a chunk out of the quarter. It even included a crazy strike down the field to wide receiver Donnie Avery, who helped Indianapolis set up in a goal-line situation. It would end in a crazy, bullet pass by Luck for the touchdown to rookie tight end Dwayne Allen.
With not much time left in the first half, the Colts had one last chance to score after the Vikings had to punt after failing on their possession. Luck played solid and was calm and cool in the pocket, as the Colts offensive line did a pretty solid job protecting him. And like I said: when Luck is cool in the pocket, you better watch out. And he did just that when he ended the second quarter with a 30-yard pass to Reggie Wayne for the score to make it 17-6.
And with that, Luck’s first victory is now in the books. Luck finished off strong, going 20-of-31 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 107.5 rating. Though the Colts weren’t so great running the ball, the passing game was as strong as ever, with Avery leading the way by having nine catches for 111 yards. Wayne was behind with six catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.
Ponder was pretty good himself, showing why he deserved to be a first-round pick in 2011, as he went 27-of-35 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts did a solid job on defense stopping the run attack of Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, limiting them to 66 and 15 yards respectively. Wide receiver Percy Harvin had 12 catches for 104 yards in the game.
Up next for the Colts will be the AFC South rival Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday at home. Can Luck get victory No. 2?
Josh Dhani is a Featured Columnist for Rant Sports. You can also see him at his website, FootBasket. You can read more about him here. Follow him on Twitter @JoshDhani.
Share 
