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The Indianapolis Colts didn't play on Sunday, but plenty of NFL teams did. It was another great day of NFL football, with upsets (the Browns over the Saints, etc.) and exciting finishes (the Broncos vs. Chiefs game, etc.), and it was just another day of great football - which the NFL desperately, desperately needed.
Though the Colts didn't play, throughout the day there were plenty of guys who played for the Colts in the past that took the field and made contributions. Let's take a look at them:
Quarterback:
Peyton Manning, Broncos
So this guy did ok when he played with the Colts, and he was pretty good again on Sunday with the Broncos. Peyton completed 21 of 26 passes (80.8%) for 242 yards (9.3 yards per attempt) and 3 touchdowns without a pick for a passer rating of 143.9. Believe it or not, however, it's not even close to his best performance against the Chiefs, a team who he has only lost to once in his career. It was just another day being Peyton for the league's best quarterback.
Drew Stanton, Cardinals
Stanton backed up Andrew Luck in 2012 and was impressive in the preseason, thought he obviously didn't get in during a regular season game. In fact, it had been since 2010 since Stanton had thrown a pass in a regular season game. He was with the Colts for only one year before following Bruce Arians to Arizona, and with Carson Palmer out with an injury, Stanton got the start. He wasn't great, completing just 14 of 29 passes (48.3%) for 167 yards (5.8 yards per attempt) and finishing with a passer rating of 66.3. But the thing about Stanton is that he threw his first pass in a regular season game since 2010 and was playing on the road, and he played turnover-free football and led his team to a win. He wasn't great overall, but nothing to be ashamed of for Drew Stanton.
Running Back:
Donald Brown, Chargers
Donald Brown, the former Colts first round pick, saw 7 carries for 21 yards (3 yards per carry) and caught 3 passes for 10 yards. He saw increased time with the injury to starter Ryan Matthews and did a solid job (hey, 3 yards per carry is better than some guys we know, Colts fans...), but overall it wasn't an overly impressive showing for Donald Brown.
Wide Receiver:
Pierre Garcon, Redskins
The former Colts receiver with Peyton Manning today was playing with both Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins, but despite an injury to DeSean Jackson Garcon caught just one all for 12 yards on 4 targets. He has been impressive with Washington, but today he didn't do a whole lot.
Donnie Avery, Chiefs
Avery played for the Colts in 2012 and had a solid (but nothing great) season. On Sunday with the Chiefs, Avery caught 3 passes for 14 yards on 6 targets.
Tight End:
Jacob Tamme, Broncos
Playing with Peyton Manning is a good thing. Tamme did it in Indy and he's currently with the Broncos, playing with Peyton once again. He only caught one pass for four yards today, but it went for a score. Again, it's nice playing with Peyton Manning as your quarterback, and Tamme has done it for two different teams.
Offensive Line:
Mike McGlynn, Chiefs
McGlynn, the Colts starting guard for much of the past two seasons, started at guard today for the Chiefs
Samson Satele, Dolphins
The starting center for the Colts for much of the past two years, Satele started at center for the Dolphins today.
Defense:
Jerry Hughes, Bills (DE)
The former Colts first round draft pick recorded 5 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit today in the Bills' win to improve to 2-0.
Mario Addison, Panthers (DE)
A backup for the Colts in 2011-12, Addison had a heck of a game on Sunday for the Panthers, notching 3 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and 4 quarterback hits.
Dwight Freeney, Chargers (OLB)
The longtime Colts star pass rusher and fan favorite Dwight Freeney recorded a tackle, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in the Chargers' win over the Seahawks, and his impact was even greater than that, getting a lot of pressure and being the disruptive pass rusher we're so used to seeing.
Kavell Conner, Chargers (LB)
The former Colts linebacker (very underutilized) recorded just one tackle for the Chargers on Sunday, but he forced a fumble that was a big play.
Marcus Burley, Seahawks (CB)
One of the stars of training camp and preseason for the Colts, Marcus Burley was traded after preseason to the Seahawks for a late-round draft pick. On Sunday, however, Burley recorded 6 tackles and a tackle for loss, seeing some good playing time on defense for the defending Super Bowl champions and the league's best defense.
Antoine Bethea, 49ers (S)
Longtime starting Colts safety Antoine Bethea was playing in his second game with the 49ers and he recorded 5 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection.
Kelvin Sheppard, Dolphins (LB)
One of the Colts cuts during their final cutdown this year, Sheppard recorded a tackle in his first game with the Dolphins.
Philip Wheeler, Dolphins (LB)
A Colt a few years ago, Wheeler notched three tackles for the Dolphins on Sunday.
Jerraud Powers, Cardinals (CB)
A former starting cornerback for the Colts for a couple of years, Jerraud Powers recorded 5 tackles for the Cardinals.
Stevie Brown, Giants (S)
Brown was a backup safety for the Colts in 2011 and on Sunday he notched a tackle.
Cassius Vaughn, Lions (CB)
The former Colts corner recorded 2 tackles on Sunday for the Detroit Lions.
Tim Jennings, Bears (CB)
Former Colts cornerback Tim Jennings recorded 3 tackles for the Bears in their big win over the 49ers on Sunday night.
Kicker:
Brandon McManus, Broncos
McManus technically never played officially for the Colts, but he was the team's camp leg last year and did a solid job. He's now the Broncos kicker, filling in for Matt Prater during his suspension, and on Sunday he hit his only attempt (from 20 yards out) and all three of his extra point attempts, finishing with 6 points. The Colts now have their past two camp legs kicking in the NFL, along with their own kicker, Adam Vinatieri (out of just 32 kicker spots).
Coaches:
Jim Caldwell, Lions
The Colts head coach from 2009-11, Caldwell's Lions faltered and lost to the Panthers in Carolina, 24-7. The Lions dropped to 1-1 on the year.
Bruce Arians, Cardinals
The Colts interim head coach in 2012 and offensive coordinator in two different stints, Arians' Cardinals beat the New York Giants 25-14 to improve to 2-0 on the season.